Renovations
by infinite shadow
Summary: Mostly Dean POV as he deals with an aftermath of a hunt. Started as a relief to my own renovation stress. Whumpage and angst fest. Language warning and slight graphic warning for chapter 2 for ickiness. Summary updated Aug 27.
1. The Arrival

**Disclaimer: **Just the standard. If you recognize anything it isn't mine however I will lay claim to the reno work. It's all over my living room, dining room, stairs and entry way. Really I'm covered in mud dust. If you've ever renovated with drywall and sanded the mud you totally know what I'm talking about!

**Author****'****s notes:** I got completely stuck on Twister and Haunted Walk. So I did what I usually do to unblock myself. Grab the rather large and dusty 1977 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary and put it down on the table still closed. Close my eyes; open the book to a random page and point. Open eyes and find out what word I'm pointing at. Sound strange? Well actually that's not so strange for me.

So the word, I kid you not, was **Gesso** which really didn't make any sense to me. Under this word was also **Gypsum** and lo and behold if gypsum is defined as **Plasterboard** _which is freakin drywall! _

_Drywall is all over my upstairs and downstairs all mudded and ready to be sanded._

So with a much better understanding of the word and way too much experience currently with the house being renovated my muse snickered (really! I heard it snort and then giggle) and we were off to the races so to speak. This story is setup pre-series.

There will be more chapters, but they haven't been written yet. It may be a week or so before I have the next chapter ready. Rated T for some questionable language.

**Renovations**

By infinite shadow

Tree… Rock… Telephone pole… A piece of tire off a semi-truck…Tree… Rock… Telephone pole… A little grass…. A little road kill… Tree… Rock… Telephone pole… Even in the dark he would know the tell tale signs of all of it. Not that he cared.

Dean sighed and closed his eyes for a minute. It's not like he was going to miss anything. It was all the same. The purr of the Impala threatened to lure himto sleep. But he couldn't let it. He was even more vulnerable when he was asleep.

It's not that he had anything to fear from his family it was that he couldn't keep his guard up while he slept. If he dropped his guard then they'd know how he was feeling. That would lead to talking and possibly even pills. Pills bombarded his walls and tore them down as if they were brittle little twigs. Leaving him wide open and exposed and that was not acceptable. Not ever. Especially if you were Dean Winchester and you were riding shotgun for your father.

John glanced down at the gas gauge and figured he could get through the next town or two without filling up but he'd stop anyway. The boys had been pretty good so far. Sammy had started moving around in the back seat about two hours ago but he'd not spoken up about his discomfort. Dean was sitting next to him starring out the window and he wondered how long ago he'd taken his last batch of pills. He hoped it was at the last stop but with his "I don't take pain killers" son he couldn't be sure. In any case Sam was being tortured by being cramped in the back seat and whether Dean needed it or not he needed to get out and move as well.

Sam watched dark scenery fly by as the Impala flew down the road. Refusing to let the purr of the motor lull him to sleep he sighed heavily and shifted in the back seat.

John's eyes glanced up in the rear-view mirror in response. "Sammy?"

Sammy shifted again in the back seat. As much as he loved the car he got cramps in his legs if he sat back there for more than a couple of hours. So far they'd been on the road for almost fifteen hours and the last pit stop was well over six hours ago.

"You all right back there son?" John asked his eyes now back on the road ahead of him.

"Yeah. Just the usual. Are we close?" he asked.

John nodded. "Few more hours. There's a town coming up. You boys hungry?"

Dean snorted beside his father. "Of course we're hungry. Bored. Tired. Itchy…"

John fought back a smile. "Yes Dean. We know. You're itchy."

"Bitchy is more like it," Sam said just loud enough to be heard.

John took a hand off the wheel and rubbed it down his face hiding the smile that he couldn't hold back.

"Shut it Sam," Dean shot back over his shoulder.

"Make me," Sam fired right back.

"You don't want me to come back there," Dean said.

Sam laughed humorously. "I'd like to see that happen."

"Boys," John said with a slight growl in his gravelly voice. "We're stopping for dinner. Behave or you'll be staying here while I enjoy a nice juicy burger. You two will wait till we get to the house and eat out of a can. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Dean said quickly relaxing in his seat.

"Yeah," Sam said and returned to watching the dark shadows fly past.

The car remained quiet for a few minutes before Dean was tapping out drum beats on his thigh and humming a tune.

Sam frowned as he slowly turned his attention to the back of his brother's head. "Um Dean?"

"Yeah Sammy," Dean said.

"Did you take your pain meds?" Sam asked.

"Nope. Didn't need em," Dean said then changed the tempo of the beat and hummed the chorus.

Sam rolled his eyes in the darkness. No matter how tough his brother tried to be the stupid ass never needed to drive all day, cramped up in a car without taking his pain meds. If he was in Dean's position and refused to take his pain meds his older brother would have held him down and forced them down his throat for his own good.

"Are you in pain son?" John asked Dean.

"No sir," Dean said quickly.

"Dammit Dean," John just short of growled. The answer had come too quickly.

"Dad I'm ok," Dean said softly.

"Oh yeah. Right. Dean I can hear you grinding your teeth back here against the pain," Sammy yelled.

"Shut up Sammy," Dean yelled back throwing a murderous look towards the back seat.

Sam shook his head and reached into his backpack while he glared daggers into the back of his big brother's head. His hand wrapped around the prescription bottle he'd grabbed out of the first aid kit that morning after he'd seen Dean toss it in there before they'd left the last motel.

Dean looked back as his prescription bottle bounced off his shoulder and settled between him and his father. Then a bottle of coke dropped next to it and Dean shot a glare towards the back seat. "Got a hearing problem Sammy?" Dean growled.

"No," Sam said defiantly then sighed. "Dad can't you… I mean.."

John nodded at the soft request. "Dean have you taken any today?"

Dean met the answer with a sigh. "Nobody listens to me. I don't need the dammed pills!" he shouted then turned to glare out the window.

John let the silence reign silently thanking his youngest for not pressing the issue farther. They drove for a few minutes before pulling into a Denny's parking lot. "Sammy get us a table. Dean and I will be in shortly."

"Yes sir," Sam said softly and slowly got out of the car.

John watched his youngest until he was in the restaurant then shifted slightly to look at his oldest son. He didn't need the soft light coming from the restaurant to see that his son was pale, shaking and sweating. Three sure signs that he was in pain and desperately trying to hide it.

Dean shifted slightly uncomfortable under the open scrutiny but not able to meet his father's gaze.

"Dean," John said softly.

"I don't need them," Dean ground out.

"Bull," John said evenly as he reached down and picked up the prescription bottle. He opened it and shook two pills into his hand. "Here."

Dean took a deep breath and shook his head once. "No sir. I don't like how they make me feel. I'd rather take the pain."

John sighed slightly. Moments like this made him wish that his oldest wasn't as stubborn as he was. "Dean there's no reason for you to be in pain. That fight's over. This is official down time. Take the pills."

Dean didn't respond. The pills were so tempting, redemption in a bottle, but he hadn't earned it. Things had gone to hell and he needed to live with the consequences. Pain filled consequences.

John's temper flared slightly at the lack of response. "Damnit Dean you will take the damned pills!"

Dean shook his head again. "No sir. I-I can't… I screwed up. Sammy could've been… I just can't."

John's anger disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. He ran a hand over his face and let it rest on his three day old stubble before looking back at his son. "We are not discussing this. You did not screw up. That hunt is over and your brother is fine."

"Sammy is not fine!" Dean shot back.

"Sam's fine son. You took the blunt of the poltergeists anger. Your little brother's tough. It'll take more than a few bruises to keep him down," John said.

"A few bruises?" Dean exclaimed. "He's got bruised ribs, a light concussion, a sprained wrist and cuts I had to stitch closed."

John nodded. "And because of that you feel like you need to be in pain. Is that it?"

Dean frowned and pursed his lips against an answer. He was pushing his luck already.

John waited patiently for Dean to reply but when nothing was forthcoming he tried again. "You can't punish yourself Dean."

"The hell I can't," Dean ground out.

"You won't as long as I'm around. Get it through your head boy that as much as you want to protect Sammy you can't be there all the time. Because of you he has a few scrapes and bruises. Isn't having cracked ribs, broken ankle, more lacerations than we can count and over 100 stitches enough?" John asked.

"No sir," Dean whispered even as each wound seemed to throb harder at the mention of their names.

"Hunting is a very dangerous job Dean. Sammy knows that. Hell we all know that. Sometimes we get hurt or we get lucky and walk away. When we're not so lucky we need to take the time to heal. So in order to drive your little brother crazy on the next hunt you need to be at least 75 percent. Right now he's going bug you and you won't be able to take it and you'll slug him one," John said softly and waited for the words to sink in.

Dean sighed heavily and looked over at his father slightly abashed. "Just like yesterday."

John frowned. "Not quite. You didn't hit him yesterday."

"Yeah but I really wanted to," Dean admitted as he looked straight ahead. "I really don't like how the pills make me feel."

"Like you have no control?" John asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Dean admitted softly looking out the passenger window.

"Get used to it buddy cause you're going to take the pills. Then we're going to have a dinner. Then we'll be back in the car and you will be stretched out in the back seat and Sammy will be riding shot gun while you rest. And all of this is going to happen without any arguments. Do I make myself clear?" John said softly.

Dean didn't say anything just held out his hand for the pills. He glared down at the pain killers in his hands and then swallowed them whole. Quickly he wrenched open the bottle of coke and drank down half the bottle.

John smiled slightly. "Now that wasn't so difficult was it?"

"All due respect but this sucks," Dean said then hastily added "sir."

"Yeah I know it does. Now stay put and I'll bring around your crutches," John said as he opened the car door. He went to the trunk and took out two wooden crutches. As he came around to the passenger side of the Impala Dean was opening the door.

Dean shifted himself so his legs were outside of the car and waited tiredly for his father to put his crutches down for him. Looking up he gave his father a baleful look. "I was wrong. Now this totally sucks."

John just nodded and waited for his son to get to his feet. He held the crutches steady until Dean was settled and then walked behind his son as they slowly made their way into the restaurant.

0000000000000

It was just past midnight when John pulled into a driveway. As some point both boys had fallen asleep. Sammy was curled against the passenger door his head pillowed on his jacket. Dean slept on his side, his head pillowed in the crook of his arm and he was snoring quietly.

"Boys we're here," John said looking at the run down home. He quickly turned out the Impala's lights so the boys wouldn't notice the hell hole he was making them stay in this time. Or, more accurately, where he was making Dean stay while he and Sam hunted.

Reaching over he gently shook Sam.

"N-no!" Sam yelled as he jolted into awareness and shot up slightly in his seat.

"S'ok son. It's just me," John said softly keeping a hand on his son's arm.

"D-Dad?" Sam said confusion lacing his sleep filled voice as he blinked furiously and looked around as he tried to figure out where they were.

"Sammy?" Dean mumbled from the back. "Just a dream buddy. Go back to sleep."

John smiled slightly. "Wake up Dean. We're at the house. Sammy get his crutches from the trunk."

"Don't need em. All better now. Take down that nasty assed ghosty now," Dean mumbled.

"Dean wake up!" John said a little louder.

Dean mumbled something then let out a soft snore.

John got out and met Sam at the back of the car. "He's not going to wake totally."

"Pain killers?" Sam guessed.

John nodded. "We'll have to get him into the house."

"Dad the last time," Sam started.

"Last time he was drunk. This is different," John said.

"Not by much," Sam said softly.

"Sam," John said tiredly.

"Fine. Fine. Let's get him out of the car first," Sam said then grabbed his father's arm before he could open the door. "Wait. I got this."

"Sammy don't do anything you'll regret tomorrow," John said.

"Like that's ever stopped me?" Sam said as he rolled his eyes and opened to the door. He took a deep breath.

"Sam," John's voice growled slightly in warning.

Sam's calm face suddenly flashed into panic. "Dean! Dean help me!"

John jumped slightly at the panicky voice then sighed heavily and rubbed a hand across his face. "Jesus Sam," he murmured as he shook his head slightly. He was getting too old for this kind of shit and he was too tired to ream Sam out for his tactics. Tomorrow however was another day and another long drive with nothing to do but ream out his youngest child.

Startled at the panic in his younger brother's voice Dean struggled to get up before he'd even opened his eyes.

"Sammy! I'm comin," Dean slurred as he struggled to a sitting position.

"Sam you and I are going to have a little talk after Dean gets settled," John almost whispered.

Dean shoved himself up into a sitting then lurched out of the car banging his head on the roof of the Impala and his plaster covered ankle on the door frame. If it wasn't for the two sets of hands that grabbed a hold of his biceps he would have landed on his face.

"Easy Dean," John said glaring at his youngest son. This they would talk about.

"Lemme go! Sammy!" Dean shouted as he struggled and fought against their holds.

"Easy. I'm right here," Sam said.

"Wha? I thought," Dean said and swallowed slightly as his head sunk down to his chest. "Bitch."

Sam smiled for a second then with his father helped Dean into the house.


	2. Day 2

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1. Seriously there are only so many ways I can say that nothing belongs to me. Well with exception to the drywall dust that I happen to own and will happily bottle and ship it to the highest bidder. LOL

**Author's notes:** I'm really surprised at the response. This was just supposed to be a little fluff to unblock my writers block. So thanks for the great reviews. There will be more chapters but they aren't written yet. The goal is to post every Friday.

Oh and there's some bad language. And part of this is kinda graphic and icky. Consider yourself warned.

Thanks out to lynxlan for the beta. I've made changes since getting this back so if there are any mistakes they are solely mine.

**Renovations**

**By infinite shadow**

**Day 2-Morning**

Suddenly the poltergeist appeared and hovered two feet off the floor in front of Dean. Its face was a hideous combination of rotted flesh and broken bone; its yellowed gown was threadbare and in tatters. The material moved slightly as if a faint breeze was moving through the room.

Dean winced slightly and swallowed against the bile that rose in the back of his throat. While he knew that some angry spirits had rotten smells that could cover small distances he had no idea why this angry spirit had such a strong stench, the strongest he'd ever come into contact with. He carefully breathed through his mouth to cut down on the smell.

An agonized scream filled the room just as Dean raised his shotgun. A split second before he squeezed the trigger the spirit disappeared.

"Dean!" John shouted from another room.

Dean heard his father's footfalls and knew he was running to his location. Ignoring the sound he glanced around the room hoping he'd gotten at least a piece of the poltergeist but he wasn't so sure. His eyes fell upon the rock salt indentations in the old drywall and sighed.

"You get it?" John asked as he ran into the room.

Dean shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Well either you did or you didn't kiddo. Which is it?" John asked as he cocked his shotgun just in case.

A scream filled the room, but this time it was accompanied by a harsh wind. Everything began flying off the shelves around the room and towards the men.

"That's a negatory sir!" Dean shouted over the noise as he jumped back to avoid a rather thick dictionary that flew past him.

John lurched to the side to avoid a tarnished silver tea set then cried out in pain that exploded in his arm. He looked down and saw a knitting needle had pierced his arm. "Son of a bitch."

"Now is not the time to pick up a new craft Dad!" Dean yelled and smirked.

John was about to throw back a comment when his line of vision to his son was blurred by the poltergeist.

"One must pay for what was done to me!" The spirit wailed. "I will not be denied! Justice will be mine!"

"Yeah. We heard you the first time bitch," Dean yelled at her and tried not to gag. "Down!"

John immediately dropped to the floor as Dean fired his gun.

Dean blinked as the spirit disappeared again just before the salt blasted through where she had been and over his father's head into the wall. "Ugh. Ever heard of soap?"

"Son do you ever quit?" John asked.

"No sir," he replied with a grin as he rushed over and helped his father to his feet. Then he opened his shot gun, took out the spent shells and reloaded.

"I shall have my revenge!" she shrieked as she abruptly appeared in front of Dean.

Suddenly the shotguns were forcibly grabbed by unseen forces. Glass shattered as the weapons were thrown out the window and onto the lawn.

From behind John the spirit threw a floor lamp at him. "He will pay!"

"Shut up already!" Dean shouted and then saw the lamp moving. Before he could shout a warning he was yanked back and was slammed into wall. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him and his face scrunched up in pain.

"Dean!" John shouted as he was getting to his feet. The lamp caught him across the back and he dropped down to the floor once again. He groaned as he brought his head up in time to see his oldest son crumple to the floor.

"Blood for blood!" the poltergeist wailed one last time before disappearing.

Momentarily stunned Dean sat there blinking trying to refocus his vision and waited for the ringing in his ears to cease. Pain registered from the back of his head. His neck felt warm and wet.

"Dean! Dean you with me buddy," John asked as he knelt next to his son and visually checked him for injury.

"Whrzt?" Dean slurred as he tried to focus on his father and suck in a painful breath.

John frowned and gently touched his son's head looking for an injury. He grimaced as Dean took a sharp breath.

"Ow," Dean groaned.

John shook his head and looked at his hand covered in his child's blood.

Suddenly Dean remembered why it was so important not to leave Sam alone on his hunt. He wasn't where he was supposed to be. He tried to get to his feet but something was holding him down.

"Dean take it easy," John said softly.

"No. Sammy's alone," Dean said.

"Yeah. He's ok. Still looking for the grave probably," John said.

"Dad did you even look at that picture?" Dean asked looking around the room.

John frowned. "No. Just read the research you gave me."

"Dalton Pryce. Picture looked like Sammy. Tall, geeky, long girly hair, brainiac. She won't see the difference," Dean said and sighed in relief as his vision finally cleared. Shoving off his father's hand he lurched to his feet. "Guns."

"Dean what are you talking about?" John asked.

"Guns! Where are our guns!" Dean asked ignoring the other question.

"Out the window," John said.

"Screw it," Dean said and he half ran, half staggered, out of the room towards the last place he'd seen his little brother. "Sammy!"

A shotgun blast seemed to echo through the house making Dean run faster. It was hard to pinpoint but he was pretty sure that Sam was still in the room he'd last seen him. The dining room with the big rock fireplace and wooden chandelier.

The hallway seemed to groan, stretch and drag out in front of him moving Sammy farther away from him than was possible. As he ran he tried to figure out when he'd lost his father in this chase because in the entire hunt he hadn't left his father's side. Pushing the doubt aside he forced himself to run faster.

"Sammay!" Dean shouted when he was just three steps away from the room the door slammed shut. He didn't pause or hesitate he ran right though the door shattering it on contact. He didn't even feel the small pieces of wood that pierced his skin.

"Dean!" Sam choked out.

Dean looked up at the fear in his little brother's voice. He was hanging by his feet from the wooden chandelier. Sam's face was beet red from the blood rushing to his head. His arm was bleeding from a gash that ran from his wrist to his elbow and more blood dripped from another gash running from the middle of his right eyebrow back past his hair line.

"I'm here Sammy," Dean said as he ran up to the great oak table that ran the length of the room. Doubt quietly ran through him again. This room was larger than he thought it had been. The room looked more grand and vast as if it was an old banquet hall from a castle. It wasn't right, at least not how he remembered it being when he'd left his little brother there earlier.

"G-get me down," Sam stuttered as he tried to breathe past his panic. "Dean please!"

"All right. All right. Hold on. You're such a drama queen," Dean said as he hopped up onto the table. He reached out to steady his little brother from swinging slightly. "Give me a sec."

"Revenge is at hand," the spirit smiled.

Dean glanced over to where she hovered right next to him and grimaced as what looked like grubs fell from her rotten mouth. "Now that's just gross."

Before Dean could steady his brother's swing from the chandelier he felt something grab around his middle and yank him backwards slamming him into the stone fireplace. He tried to swallow back a scream as his side hit the corner of the mantle and he felt something give in his chest. His arms wrapped protectively around his middle and he tried to move his body but found he was stuck where he'd landed. Glancing down he couldn't see anything sticking out of him but the middle of his back was wet and shots of pain encompassed his back every time he moved.

"Dean!" Sam's panicked voice filled the room. "No!"

He swallowed back the blood in his mouth and stopped moving. "Sammy," Dean whispered as he looked up.

"Unfaithful you said," the woman cried out in anger at Sam with Dean now forgotten behind her. "Town whore you accused!"

Sam's attention was back on the woman. His eyes huge, fear crashed off him in waves as he shook and his blood pooled below him on the table. "NO! Not me!"

Sam screamed as she raked nonexistent fingernails across his face leaving three deep lacerations across his nose, mouth and cheeks.

"I'm not Dalton Pryce!" Sam yelled through the blood.

"LIAR!" she yelled and then serenely smiled. "Dalton Pryce you are sentenced to death for killing me. I'll see you in hell."

Sam swallowed and searched out his brother. "Dean tell her! Tell her I'm not Dalton!"

"Hey bitch!" Dean shouted. "You're about 80 years too late! That's not Dalton he's Sammy!"

Her head swiveled half way round her neck so she could look at Dean. "Blood for blood. Dalton's blood is Sam's blood."

"Then Dalton's blood is my blood too. Take me!" Dean yelled back.

"Dean Winchester blood is not Dalton Pryce blood," She said calmly as if discussing the weather.

"Shows what you know. Let him go," Dean demanded.

"Dean!" Sam screamed. "Don't let her kill me!"

Her arm rose up and pointed to the chain holding up the chandelier. Metal screeched as she slowly broke the metal apart and she turned her head right around to face Sam. "You will be mine for all time. Dalton Samuel Pryce Winchester," she said.

The room shook around them as the metal gave way.

Dean screamed as Sammy started dropping in slow motion to his death on the oak table below him.

Suddenly Dean jerked and the dining room was gone, he was lying down on a comfortable mattress and darkness surrounded him. He was breathing heavily like he'd just run ten miles way too fast and his ribs were protesting at the deep quick breathes.

Silently he repeated that it was just a dream, the hunt did not go down like that and Sammy hadn't died. It had been close though and a few more minutes and Sam could have died just not like he'd dreamed. When his breathing had calmed and his heart had stopped racing he reprimanded himself for watching the Exorcist the night before the hunt and Robin Hood while in the hospital while waiting to be released after his surgery on his ankle. A scary combination if there ever was one.

On the other hand since getting out of the hospital Sam had been underfoot and annoying and hovering and a general pain in his ass. In a weird way it made him feel better because it was normal Sam behaviour to hover when he was injured and he was grateful that he'd made it in time before the spirit had gotten to Sam. But he was still being a pain in the ass and he was so going down for that. The take down could wait until the cast came off, or just before the cast came off, or the way for the cast to come off whichever came first. He wasn't that picky about it.

He shifted slightly on the bed and took another deep relaxing breath. It felt early like no one was awake yet. If he was lucky he could get some more sleep before his father started talking about the next hunt and doing research.

A very quiet shuffling sound caught his attention in his half asleep state. It sounded as if someone was moving around in his room. A duffle bag dropped to the floor and Dean frowned as he tried to make it through his sleepy fog to full alertness. He heard a soft thunk next to his bed and a quiet sigh just above him. Yup Sammy was up and … shifting his covers?

"Dude Florence Nightingale you ain't," Dean said as he opened his eyes.

"Agh!" Sam gasped.

"I like my nurses with breasts, big breasts, and tight little uniforms," Dean quipped grinning at the surprise on his little brother's face.

Sam actually took a step back one hand over his face and one protectively wrapped around his chest. "Don't do that!"

Dean snickered. "Man that never gets old," he quipped ridiculously happy that his little brother was here and in one piece. Today was officially open season on Sammy. Pain meds be dammed.

"I-I thought you were asleep," Sam said as he quickly looked away and stared down at his worn out sneakers.

Dean nodded still smiling at his little brother's discomfort. "Uh huh," he grunted as he took a moment to study Sam and frowned slightly feeling all the fun sucked out of the minute.

"Do you need anything?" Sam asked as he brought his head up slightly but still not looking at Dean.

Dean couldn't see Sam's eyes because they were covered by his long locks of girly like hair. So he took a second to read his brother's body language. His one arm was still wrapped tightly around his chest, the other he'd slammed into his jeans pocket, his stature was bowed, he shifted his weight slightly from foot to foot and he wouldn't look at Dean. "Yeah I do Sammy."

Sam glanced up quickly at the nickname and then back down to his shoes.

Dean started the arduous task of sitting up and couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped. Suddenly Sam's arms were helping him sit up making the movement easier to bear. Dean rested his chin on his chest for a minute trying to force away the pain.

"I'll get you your pain meds," Sam said softly.

"No. Just wait," Dean panted slightly then patted the bed. "Sit down."

Sam's eyes grew huge. "What? Why?"

"Easy man. I just… uh… well…," Dean said then sighed. "Never mind."

Sam sat down next to his brother on the bed. "What's wrong?"

Dean grinned on the inside. This was far too easy. It was a gift really. "The hunt. We haven't really talked," he said and shrugged one shoulder.

"You don't usually want to talk," Sam said softly. "Cause that's what girls do. You said that once you start talking about feelings then you quickly move on to chick flicks, not feeling fresh and pantyhose."

Dean groaned inwardly. _Once_. He'd said it once and Sam repeated it like the gospel. Granted he'd been ten and Sam six but still. He had to let it go sometime, right? Sam was thirteen for cryin out loud. It was just embarrassing for his thirteen year old brother to talk like that. Hadn't he learned anything else? As an awesome older brother he'd shown him really cool things like manly car magazines with scantily clad women, how to fight someone twice his size and win, how to break down a carburetor and re-build it, an iron clad way to get to first base with a girl and how to make rock shot for their shot guns. And this is what he chose to repeat?

"Sam if you ever repeat those words again and I'll beat them out of your head. Do I make myself clear?" Dean growled at him.

Sam grinned at him.

Dean glared at him knowing it was exactly the response his little brother was looking for. "Bitch."

Sam's grin slowly left his face. "Yeah."

Dean's eye brows rose to his hairline. "Yeah? That's it?"

Sam suddenly found the bedspread incredibly interesting.

"Is it let Dean get away with everything day? Cause last I checked your line here is Jerk, Freak or some fancy Latin shit that I can't translate right away. Which just let me say is dirty pool. I can't have a fast comeback if I don't know what you said," Dean said trying to keep the moment light.

Sam worried his bottom lip between his teeth and let out a sigh. "No. Today's it's just the truth," he said softly then started to get up.

Dean reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Hey what does that mean?" He asked concerned at his brother's reaction.

Sam shook his head.

"Look I know I haven't been at my most pleasant but what did I miss?" Dean asked and let go as Sam turned back towards him.

"How's your head and ankle today?" Sam asked softly.

"That's what this is about? Sam you didn't slam me into a stone fireplace, or toss me into a glass cabinet or wooden bookshelf," Dean started.

"I know. But last night you got out of the car too fast and hit your head and cast on the Impala," he admitted softly. "I just-I wasn't thinking. I was half asleep and thought about the fastest way to get you out of the car. You're just so coordinated and you never trip up or anything I never thought about drugs in your system and messing with your coordination and."

"Whoa run on sentence boy. What happened last night? I hit my head and ankle on the Impala?" Dean said then laughed. "Dude it was the drugs. At any other time I'm sooo smooth. Just ask the ladies."

"Dean! Sam! Breakfast!" John shouted from the kitchen.

Sam sighed and slumped slightly. "Do you need help getting up and stuff?"

Dean pulled a face and pulled his blankets up slightly. "No!"

"Kay," Sam said as he gave him a hesitant half smile and got up and started out of the room. He stopped and turned back to his big brother. "Dean I'm sorry."

Dean blinked at the apology as he got the strange feeling that it wasn't for the mishap with the Impala last night and then his brother was gone. "You're such a ray of sunshine in the morning Sammy," he mumbled and sat there for a moment debating how long he could sit before actually getting up when he remembered hearing Sam's panicked cry for help. He shook his head slightly.

"Yeah I'll bet you're sorry Sammy," he said darkly then suddenly brightened as a thought occurred to him. "Lets find out just how sorry you are little man."


	3. Left Behind

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. They're not mine. I know it's a shock but it's true. Just wish they were mine.

Author's notes: Thanks out to lynxlan for the beta yesterday. It's been changed a bit since getting it back so any mistakes you find they are all me. Oh and there's some swearing.

**Renovations**

**By infinite shadow**

**Day 2 - Left Behind**

Dean lay there for a few minutes after his brother had left the room. Once he'd considered last night's events he realized that he wasn't all that mad at his little brother for the way he got him out of the car. He knew that no matter how careful they'd been it would have hurt him anyway and at least this way he got out on his own.

However his little brother didn't need to know that he wasn't mad and it would be fun to yank his chain for the better part of the day. He grinned as he thought about making Sam do everything he wanted.

"Dean breakfast!" John hollered again.

The grin fell away as he pulled off the blankets and twisted so his feet touched the floor. He immediately slouched slightly and hissed as his ribs protested the movement.

As the pain eased back to a bearable level he brought his head up and looked at his new room. He lifted an eye brow at the condition of the filthy walls, peeling paint, dirty floor and threadbare curtains for a moment then shrugged. Really it was nothing new and while not as nice as some of the run down motels they usually stayed in they'd been in far worse.

Giving himself a minute for the pain to abate he forced himself to grab a crutch and stood up. Using his crutch he shuffled towards his duffle that Sam had dropped by the foot of his bed.

By the time he'd struggled into some clean-ish clothes and made his way out of his room he was sweaty and exhausted.

He knew he was pretty strong and generally healthy but with the cracked ribs walking with crutches was akin to torture. After five or six steps he was panting with exertion. Leaning up against a wall he closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment before continuing on. When he'd gotten his breath back he settled himself properly on his crutches and walked into the living room where his mouth hung open for a moment.

The couch had been flipped over onto its back, the material slashed in several places, there were holes in the walls, wallpaper was ripped and hung off the walls and pieces were strewn around the room, the window was broken and broken glass lay nearby on the floor and garbage had been piled up in the corner.

Dean closed his mouth, swallowed heavily at the mess in front of him and hoped that they weren't staying long - like leaving in the next hour. He schooled his feelings of disgust and surprise before he turned and looked into the bathroom.

Quickly he turned away from what had to be the worst bathroom he'd ever seen in his lifetime. At the age of seventeen he'd been in numerous shady pool halls or bars and their bathrooms had been cleaner than this. The tiles were cracked and broken with some missing all together, the tub which had been white at some point was now dirty, caked with dirt and mould, the shower curtain was missing as was the mirror and he didn't want to know what the toilet looked like.

Swallowing back the bile of what that room looked like he turned and saw Sammy's room and swore out loud. There was no bed, no light fixtures just holes in the walls and torn blankets to sleep on. There wasn't even a window to ventilate the room properly.

"Damnit. He's not sleeping in there again," Dean swore as he turned and headed for the kitchen not caring what his father was sleeping in. He'd already seen enough. They were not staying here for another night. Period. He was not gonna take no for an answer.

"Morning," John said as he looked up from his notes. "Sit. I'll get you some coffee."

"S'ok. I got it," Dean said as he leaned up against the counter and balanced himself. As he grabbed the coffee pot and began to pour he turned his attention back to his father. He decided to find out was wrong with his little brother then inquire about the house. "What's up with Sammy?"

"What do you mean?" John asked. He had hoped to get through a full cup of coffee before starting this conversation.

"I don't know. Just seemed kinda off this morning is all," Dean said as he replaced the coffee pot back on the element.

"Dean sit down," John said then quickly took a sip of coffee to fortify himself for the argument that was about to begin. But felt slightly relieved that Sam had done as he'd asked and not told his older brother.

"Uh no offence Dad but I'm actually kinda balanced and," Dean started

John sighed softly and ran a hand over his face. "Dean."

"Right," the seventeen year old said recognizing the tone. His father looked haggard and exhausted. Dean knew he'd probably not really slept but kept one eye open over him, Sammy and this wreck of a house. And now he wanted to talk, probably about his pissy attitude of late with Sammy. His little brother had been taking the brunt of his attitude since he'd woken up drugged and disoriented in the hospital.

Leaving his crutches leaning up against the counter he took a small hop towards the table that was about two normal steps away. Pain exploded in his chest and he hunched over as he wrapped his arms protectively around his stomach.

A pain filled gasp from his son brought John's attention away from his coffee cup. He was up and next to his son before he could even think twice.

Dean tried not to let out a stream of swear words. Not that his father would care but it would look like he was losing control. He almost didn't feel the hands that were keeping him upright but he did hear his father talking softly to him. "I'm ok," he whispered as he tried to straighten up but the pain got worse as he moved.

"Easy Dean," John said as he slowly helped his son sit in a chair.

Dean grimaced as he sat down. The gentle motion jarred his ribs and despite his best efforts a slight whimper escaped.

John knelt next to his son's chair putting one hand on his thigh and the other gently on the back of his neck. "Ok son. You know the drill. Shallow smooth breaths," he said in a soft commanding tone that he knew his boy would hear.

Dean nodded grateful that his father was right next to him. It gave him a ground against the pain as he closed his eyes and followed the order. After a few minutes he could pull in a deeper breath without his chest screaming back at him.

"This … Totally … Blows," he said when a little of the pain had subsided.

"Yeah I know," John said softly as he rubbed his thumb across the back of Dean's neck helping to calm him. Just like he'd done countless times when his oldest had been healing from some injury and the pain had gotten too bad.

Dean opened his eyes and looked at his father. "I … Hate … This," he panted his complaint.

"I know," John repeated softly.

When John was satisfied that his son could sit straight without struggling for breath he stood up and retrieved a fresh cup of coffee for his son. He placed the cup in front of Dean, next to the forgotten cold toast John had made for breakfast, firmly set the bottle of pills next to it then went back to his seat.

Dean nodded his thanks, ignored the pills and took a sip of is coffee pulling a face of disgust. "Have you tasted this?"

"Sammy made it and you will drink it if you want coffee," John said.

Dean placed the mug down on the table and waited for whatever his father wanted to talk to him about. When five minutes had elapsed and his father had said nothing but studied notes in his journal, Dean couldn't take it anymore. "Why are we here? I mean no offence Dad but have you looked at this place?"

"I've seen it. Set wards up. It's safe Dean," John said not looking up from his book.

Dean nodded. "Ok. Great. It's safe. I'll sleep better at night instead of patrolling the properly for our usual visitors."

John looked up at the slight sarcasm in his oldest son's voice. "Got something to say boy you'd best be saying it."

Dean squirmed slightly in his seat at his fathers tone before leaning forward slightly. "We've stayed in some messed up places before and they were safe too. I know that. But this? Give me a few hours with a pool cue and we can stay in a motel."

"The place needs some work," John said.

"Well that just might be the understatement of the day," Dean shot back.

"Dean when you looked at the house this morning," John started knowing Dean would have checked out the security on the new place as was his habit no matter where they were staying – broken down house, motel or Pastor Jim's. "Notice anything?"

Dean shrugged and pushed back the wave of pain that came from his chest. "Sheets of drywall, wood, paint, drywall tape, drywall mud," he started to list off and then paused.

John gave him a weak smile. "Figured you boys could learn about renovating a house. Give you a taste for something a little different," he said.

Dean snorted. "Yeah right. Seriously Dad what are we doing here?"

"Haven't told him yet?" Sam snarked at his father as he walked into the kitchen. "Were you gonna leave him a note or something and let him figure it out on his own?"

John shot a murderous glance at his youngest son. "Don't push me boy or you will suffer the consequences."

"What the hell is going on Dad?" Dean asked pulling his father's attention back to him.

Sam pulled the chair out next to his brother and sat down. He knew his father's threat was empty. There's no way he'd make him do laps with his ribs. Then again it didn't mean he wouldn't make him clean the arsenal or detail the Impala.

"Renovations on the house," John said.

"Just not right away," Sam said his defiant tone gone as he rested his forearms on the table and slouched in his seat.

Dean looked at his brother for a second before looking back at his father. "You're leaving us and going somewhere?" he asked.

"Actually Sam and I are going," John said softly.

"No. No way. You are not leaving me here," Dean said firmly but careful to keep his tone even.

John sighed. "Sam and I have a job to do then we'll be back. By then you'll be healed enough to help with the work on the house."

"Dad wants to test me," Sam said softly.

Dean looked over at his brother again who was looking completely crest fallen next to him. "W-what?" Dean asked his eyes wide.

"That's right. It's an easy job," John started.

"Dad he's hurt," Dean shot back. "And there are no such things as easy jobs. Remember?"

"Enough," John said wearily. "We're going. You're staying,"

Dean felt fiery rage build inside him. How dare his father try and take Sammy from him. He was Sam's protector. He looked out for him. He drove him to school, had his back on hunts and beat the living hell out of anything that dared to touch him. His cheeks flushed, his head lowered slightly as he slammed his hands on the table and slowly got to his good foot. "No," he said quietly, dangerously, almost like an animal giving a low growl in warning of attack.

Sam looked up at his brother with wide eyes at the rare show of defiance towards their father.

"Excuse me?" John said.

"He's thirteen years old! He's got bruised ribs and a slight concussion. His wrist is sprained! He's got cuts that have barely covered over. He is not going into a fight without me to watch his back!" Dean shouted.

Sam flinched slightly and hoped that Dean really did have a concussion to blame the outburst on.

"At some point he has to stand on his own Dean! He has to learn to look after himself. He's got to learn to watch our backs just as well as you watch his," John shouted back.

Sam frowned. "I watch his back," he mumbled.

"No he doesn't. As far back as I can remember it's been my job to look after him," Dean shot back.

"Your job?" John scoffed.

"Watch Sammy. Protect Sammy. Look after Sammy. Your words Dad! Yours. And now you want me to stop just like that? Well I'm sorry sir but it doesn't work that way. If he's going then I'm going. Period. End of story," Dean ground out.

"I don't need to be babysat!" Sam said loudly.

"I don't want you to stop looking out for him Dean I just want him to be able to look after himself! And for you!" John yelled.

"He does!" Dean shot back emphatically.

John slammed the table with his fist as he stood up. "The hell he does!"

"Hey!" Sam tried to shout over the argument.

"Of course he does or I wouldn't be standing here! I'm the oldest. The responsibility is mine not his!" Dean yelled ignoring his brother who he was doing his best to defend. "You taught me that!"

"He doesn't know what's around him on a hunt. His guard is never up enough!" John shot back ignoring Sam's outbursts.

"He is right here!" Sam yelled as he jumped to his feet.

"He doesn't have to. That's what I'm for!" Dean yelled.

"No you don't! I can look after myself!" Sam tried to yell over his brother's voice.

"Damnit Dean he needs to be just like you!" John shouted.

"No," Dean said shaking his head slightly. "No he doesn't. He never has to be me. I do all the extra stuff so he'll never have to!"

"He needs to be better, stronger, faster," John yelled.

"I am fast!" Sam yelled back and hit the table wanting desperately to be heard in the argument.

"How? By being my clone?" Dean said incredulously.

"If need be yes!" John roared his chest heaving and immediately wished he could take back the words.

Sam's jaw dropped open at his father's words and felt his stomach fall away. Bile rose in the back of his throat as it dawned on him that he would never be as good at his brother. He'd never be what his father wanted or needed.

Dean sucked in a breath at his father's admission. Sammy wasn't supposed to be like him. Sammy was supposed to be protected and watched over. That said Dean knew without a doubt that his little brother could hold his own well enough in almost any fight.

Sam visibly paled and he stared down at the table in the crackling silence. "I-I'll never be him," he said softly before turning and walking away.

"Sam," Dean said turning to watch his brother walk away from him. "Sammy."

John took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face.

"Great. Just great," Dean mumbled all the anger and energy sucked out of him. He turned, used the back of the chair for balance as he reached out for his crutches.

"Dean I'll go. Try and explain," John said as he shook his head. It's not what he meant he just needed to know Sam would be safe in a hunt without his brother. Sam didn't need to be Dean he just needed to be as vigilant and as sharp as Dean was.

"No. No way. He'll just yell at you. Let me talk to him," Dean said softly as he settled himself on his crutches then looked up to his Dad. "He's different from us but it's not a bad thing. And just for the record, sir, Sam can hold his own but I shouldn't have to tell you that. You've seen it for yourself many times. I guess he'll have to prove himself to you again. He just shouldn't have to."

John sighed as he sat back down and drank down his coffee wishing that he'd put some whiskey in it that morning.

Dean got as far as the living room and was surprised at the sight in front of him. Somehow Sam had righted the couch on his own and was sitting on it with his elbows rested on his thighs and his head rested in his hands.

Dean sighed as he took in his little brother's defeated posture and hated that just a few wrong spoken words from their father could shatter Sam so badly. He slowly made his way to the couch and lowered himself to sit next to his little brother. "He didn't mean it Sammy," he said softly.

"Of course he meant it," Sam said as he pulled his head up and leaned against the back of the couch. "He's right you know."

"About what?" Dean asked s he moved to mirror Sam's position and as their shoulder's touched slightly he could feel the tremors running though his brother's body.

"I'm weaker than you. I don't pay attention while hunting because I know you'll be there to pay attention for me," he said.

Dean knew the statement was true but he had to get Sam to stop thinking this way. "Pity much?"

Sam looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Sam before you even start moping around and getting teary eyed Dad doesn't want another me," Dean said. "Look you're smart, almost too smart. You're quick and a damn near perfect shot. Sure you could be physically stronger but you more than make up for that in other ways."

"Yeah, right," Sam said looking away.

"Who spouts off Latin faster and more accurately than I do?" Dean asked.

Sam was quiet for a second before answering. "I do."

"Uh huh. And as much as it pains me to say it, who can pick a lock faster?" Dean asked.

"I do," Sam said softly. "But you're almost as fast."

"Who researches without falling asleep and possibly even enjoys it?" Dean asked as he nudged Sam gently with his shoulder.

Sam blushed slightly. "I guess I do."

Dean smiled slightly pride evident in his face. "That's right. You do all those things Geek Boy. If you weren't my younger brother I'd have to kick your ass for being so smart."

"Do you really think I can do this? I mean on my own?" Sam asked softly.

"Sammy who trained you?" Dean asked.

Sam blinked at him for a second. "You and Dad."

Dean nodded. "Trained by two of the best."

"So you think I can do this?" Sam asked very softly.

"Yeah I do. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you believe in yourself and you can do it," Dean said. "But let me say this. If you screw this hunt up I'll kill you. Understand?"

Sam stared at his brother for a moment then smiled. "Yeah. Thanks Dean," he said softly.

"Oh little brother don't thank me," Dean said almost menacingly.

Sam frowned at the sudden change in his brother's tone.

"Get me some breakfast," he demanded.

Sam's face fell. "Get your own," he said.

"Yeah you're right. I probably should," Dean sighed as he looked from his brother to his cast, then to his crutches. "Maybe I'll just skip breakfast."

"You never skip meals," Sam said as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yeah it's just," Dean started then paused. "Never mind. Help me up?"

A blush crept onto Sam's face. "Shut up," Sam said as he got up and headed to the kitchen.

"Fresh warm toast Sammy with lots of peanut butter and jam," Dean hollered after him. He smirked as his brother fingered him without turning around. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. A grin slowly spread over his face as he imagined Sammy waiting on him hand and foot before he left.

0000000000000

Dean hobbled into the living room on his crutches and settled on the couch grimacing as he went down. He'd just endured his father's ministrations with his wounds and had been re-bandaged, ordered to rest.

Sam brought over a crate with a towel on it and waited for Dean to put up his leg. "Dad said you needed this," he said softly as he handed his older brother an ice pack.

John came down the hall and into the living room. "Dean you need anything call Bobby. He's two hours away and has volunteered to come if anything goes wrong."

"Dad where are you going?" Dean asked frustrated that his father and Sam had ignored that question all morning.

"Need to know buddy and I don't think you need to know," John said.

"That's a little over dramatic isn't it?" Sam asked.

"Nope," John said as he looked at his youngest son. "Your brother will be hotwiring a car to try and join us if we tell him."

"Hey I need to know," Dean protested.

"No," John said as he picked up his duffle near the front door and slung it over his shoulder.

"Dad how will I know if something goes wrong? How will I be able to help?" Dean pressed.

"Dean," John said as he sighed. "I have to check in with Jim every night. If we go more than 24 hours without checking in Jim will be sending reinforcements."

"A lot can happen in twenty four hours," Dean said. "Let me come. I'll stay in the motel."

"Dean you're not coming," John said.

"You just can't expect me to sit here while you and Sammy are in danger," Dean said incredulously.

"Yes I can and you will. That is non-negotiable," John said sharply then softened it. "Dean you're getting down time. Just take it like a man and be ready to work when we get back."

Dean huffed and put the ice pack on his chest.

"Take care of yourself. Watch that cut on your arm, put the ointment on it ever four hours and re-bandage it. Take the pain meds," John instructed then paused taking a good look at his sone who was staring down at his cast. "Hey!"

"What?" Dean shot back scowling deeply and glaring at his father.

John smiled back at him. "Stop bitching so much."

"Hey I have valid concerns," Dean complained.

"Which I have just answered and invalidated," John shot back. "Look after yourself and we'll be back in three days tops."

Dean glared at his Dad as he left the house.

Sam looked at his brother. "Dean I tried to talk him out of it. I wanted to stay with you."

"Don't worry about me," Dean said.

Sam frowned at him.

"I'll be fine," Dean said heartened by his brother wanting to stay. "Hurry up so you don't piss off Dad."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Take care of yourself," he said softly with his hand on the door knob.

"Take care of yourself princess. I'm just gonna hang around, sleep, relax and heal. Fantasize about the playmate of the month," Dean said grinning widely.

Sam shook his head, tossed a bag at his brother and started out the door just as the Impala honked.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled.

Sam poked his head back in. "Yeah?"

"You need anything you call me. Not Pastor Jim. Not Bobby. Me. Understood?" Dean said firmly.

"Yeah I will," he said softly.

"That's my boy. Now go bag yourself an ornery spirit and I want to hear all about it when you get back," Dean said as he smiled at his little brother.

"Dean," Sam said as he looked at the floor. "I don't know."

"You can do this man. Piece of cake. Just keep your guard up. You'll be fine," Dean assured him. "Hey I've been watching your back since you've started hunting and you do just fine most of the time without me. The only difference is you just need to be aware with what's around you. Sides where's all that bravado you had going into the last job?"

Sam shifted slightly near the door. He knew he was a good hunter with Dean backing him up. He just hadn't done it without him before.

At Sam's hesitation Dean sighed softly. "You can do this little man. And you will make Dad and I proud. You just gotta to believe in yourself. Look, if you need to you can call just before you go. But you had better call when it's over," he said a little more sternly than he had intended and softened it with the biggest smile he could plaster over his face.

Sam nodded. "Yeah OK Dean. I'll call," he said softly, grabbed his duffle and left.

Dean smiled his fake grin at the door until he couldn't hear the purr of the Impala anymore. The smile faded as Dean glanced around in the silence and deflated a little. He was alone. He hated being alone. Worse than that he was alone in overwhelming silence in the middle of nowhere.

Trying to shake off the melancholy feelings he took the bag his brother tossed at him and opened it. His face lit up in surprise as he pulled out a car magazine with an Impala that looked exactly like their father's car on the front. He blinked a couple of times as he looked at how shiny and perfect the picture looked. Sammy knew how much he loved their car, how much time he spent washing her, waxing her, fixing her and tuning her engine with their father.

"Thanks Sammy," he said softly and looked out the broken window wishing he had left with them.


	4. Boredom

**Disclaimer: **The usual. Don't own anything you recognize below Supernatural wise or music wise…

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to lynxlan for the beta. This would be the end of day 2 of this story. Posting a day early just cause it's ready. Next chapter should follow on the 20th or possibly sooner if I can get it done faster. Let me know what you think of the story…

**Renovations**

**Chapter 4 - Boredom**

Dean held onto the magazine for a few minutes before looking through it. The distraction lasted a half hour at the most before he found himself sitting in the living room, bored out of his mind with nothing to do.

"Come on now. There's gotta be something I can do in this ridiculous place," he said to himself.

Looking around the trashed room he figured he could clean the place up a bit. It would have to be done anyway before work could begin.

Using the side of the couch for leverage he managed to push himself up and onto his good foot. He grabbed his crutches and hobbled over to what he figured was a utility closet. His assumption was right. He found a broom, mop, bucket and a smattering of cleaning supplies.

"Well that'll do," he muttered and started to go through the closet.

Sighing heavily he balanced himself carefully then discarded a crutch leaving it leaning against the wall and took out the broom. It was difficult to find the right rhythm with a crutch under one arm and a broom in the other. He made it to the center of the room and paused to catch his breath.

"Definitely should have fought harder for Sammy to stay," he said softly. "Then I could watch him clean up with my feet up while I drank beer."

With a sigh he made sure he was balanced on his good leg and began to slowly sweep the room. A little while later he was coated in sweat and all the garbage had been swept into the middle of the room. That monumental task almost complete he allowed himself to sink down onto the couch. His head fell back against the couch and he closed his eyes as he tried to get his breath back.

Opening his eyes he sat there and stared at the ceiling. Squinting he could make out the barest of outlines of shoe marks. Knowing there was nothing supernatural here he vaguely wondered how on earth they got there. Course he'd seen far more than others had in their lifetime and he could imagine Vampires, which were totally made up creatures, demons, cause they could do just about anything, and a couple of superheroes that could hang upside-down. Like Spiderman or Batman.

A car passed by filling the house with he sound of an engine for a few seconds and then Dean was back in an eerily quiet room.

He forced himself to get up and ignored the pain that flared in his body. "There's gotta be a radio or TV around here somewhere."

He limped out of the living room on one crutch and one hand on the hallway wall. Not looking in the rooms as he passed the bathroom and Sammy's room he found the room where his father had stayed the night before. There was no way he could've slept in there. There were a couple of dead rats, holes in the floor and a piece of wall was missing. There wasn't even a bit of it on the floor it just seemed to have vanished.

"This is one messed up place," he said.

He made his way into the next room and grinned as he found the TV. The thing was huge, in fact it looked like a piece of furniture with wooden doors that came across the front of the unit. He happily pulled back the doors and his grin fell away. The TV had been destroyed when someone had thrown a lamp into the tube.

"Probably had lousy reception anyway," he said.

He looked around the room and saw a couple of boxes stacked in the corner. He made his way over to them and found a small ghetto blaster. "Finally something I can use."

Scanning the room again he found a plug about three steps from where he was standing. He made his way over plugged it in ready to listen to just about anything to take away the ear splitting silence. Static came through the speakers as he fiddled with the dial from one end to the other and found nothing but static.

"Stupid little town doesn't even have a radio station," he grumbled to himself.

He carefully set the ghetto blaster onto a wobbly table and went back to the box. Digging around he pulled out a small briefcase. "Oh now there better be something in here."

He flipped open the latches and his face lit up in a relieved grin as he scanned the contents. Pink Floyd, Skynyrd, Clapton, Beatles, Metallica, Styx, Aerosmith, Joe Walsh, Jefferson Airplane among others. He would have taken anything to kill the silence but this was a treasure trove of music. It was music that he'd grown up listening to. Music that he'd loved ever since he could remember because it was what his parents listened to. It was what his mother had listened to. She'd had a particular fondness for Clapton.

He pulled out a Clapton tape and put it into the tape deck. Immediately the room filled with music and Dean felt himself relax slightly. A small smile graced his face as he stared down at the ghetto blaster but he wasn't seeing the small stereo. Dean was back in their family kitchen before the fire demon, before evil had claimed his innocence.

Clapton was playing in the background while he and his mom made sugar cookies. Icing sugar, cookie dough cut outs and flour were covering the table. She was so close, hovering just behind him so her long golden tresses tickled his cheek. He could smell her sweet vanilla perfume and hear her melodic laughter. Suddenly he was scooped out of his seat and wrapped up in his mother's arms as they danced around the kitchen. He giggled and laughed in delight and his Mom hummed and sang along to the music, encouraging him through his loud laughter to sing along with the chorus.

Dean pulled out of the memory smiling softly with tears filling his eyes from the vivid picture. The memory was so near, so close that he could almost swear he could reach behind himself and touch her hand, inhale deep enough and he could smell vanilla or hear her sweet voice humming to the radio.

The sweet pain of the memory made two tears fall over his cheeks and onto his t-shirt. His mother was the only reason he would allow himself to cry, alone, without berating himself. It was a hurt he was sure he would never allow to heal for fear of forgetting her completely. He sniffed once and took a deep breath to shake off the feelings. He pushed his mother aside once more in his mind but she was always there.

He turned off the tape, unplugged the ghetto blaster and hobbled back to the living room. He set it on the floor, plugged it in and turned it back on. The silence was forced back once again as Clapton's music filled the room.

Taking a deep breath he hobbled over to the supplies that had been stacked in a corner and searched through them. Finding some garbage bags he tossed them towards the garbage pile. He hobbled over the crate and moved it over to where the garbage bags had landed. He slowly sank down careful not to jar his throbbing ankle and let his crutch drop to the floor. The room seemed to tilt slightly around him and he closed his eyes against the sensation.

"Ok maybe I should've just relaxed," he mumbled. Then the room seemed to settle down and he opened his eyes. "Yeah right."

He reached down and began filling a garbage bag with the larger pieces of rubbish. When the bag was full he tied the top closed and opened another. Three bags later he finally was finished and tied the top closed. He sat there looking at the room and was somewhat impressed. There was actual hard wood floor that needed to be refinished but looked quite nice with its light wood tones with a dark outline framing the room.

Dean grimaced slightly as pain flared hotly and he struggled to his feet. Maybe one pain pill would be ok to take. He slowly made his way into the kitchen, glaring at the white pill in his hand he quickly took it before he could change his mind. Telling himself that this would allow him to continue to work he choked down some cold coffee and went back into the living room.

He purposely ignored the bathroom and went into his brother's room. He threw out the sheets and blankets that were beyond repair. He swept up the pieces of wall that were strewn about the room. It felt kinda weird to sweep on carpet but it seemed like a reasonable thing to do at the time. When most of the rubbish was put into a garbage bag he looked down at the carpet. It wasn't much of an improvement as there were burn marks and outright holes in the carpet.

Dean shook his head. "Would've been better to demolish this place and start over. There's no way Sammy's spending another night in here. No way," he said as he grabbed the full garbage bag and hobbled back to the living room. He went to the door, yanked it open and tossed the bag out the door letting the bag land next to the other full bags of garbage.

He continued to clean out the rooms over the next few hours. By the time he'd made it back to his own room all he wanted to do was collapse on the bed. But his stomach had other ideas and he left his room and made it to the kitchen.

He considered the tins on the counter and took a tin of chili. Rooting around in the drawers he couldn't find a can opener. He slammed the drawer closed in frustration and bent forward slightly as his ribs protested loudly at the motion. Panting slightly against the pain he straightened up and leaned up against the counter.

Once the pain was at a bearable level he grabbed his pain meds and swallowed another white pill dry. Slamming the offending prescription bottle onto the counter he grimaced before heading towards back towards his room. He was about to drop onto his bed with exhaustion when he realized that his room was a complete mess. Sure he had a bed with a decent mattress with good sheets but the rest of the room was falling apart. Literally.

With a heavy sigh he realized that he could lie down and try to relax but the state of the room would eat away at him until he did something about it. Seeing that he was already on his feet so to speak he hobbled out to the hallway, grabbed the broom and began sweeping. He filled two bags of garbage and as he opened the door to toss them out he found himself face to face with two young teenagers.

A tall gangly kid in a leather jacket and torn jeans elbowed his friend. "Dude! There's a guy in our place."

"Who are you?" The other kid asked in a wondrous voice. He had a mullet, ac/dc tour shirt, and threadbare jeans.

Dean blinked for a second at the two kids. The kid in the leather jacket had a lit joint in his hand and the second had a baggie of green herb. "You two do all this damage to my place?" He demanded.

"Whoa man we didn't know this was your place," mullet kid said.

"Yeah like we thought it had been abandoned or something," the kid in the leather jacket said.

"Well you thought wrong. Now get off my property and don't let me catch you around here again or I'll kick your asses back to sobriety," Dean growled menacingly at them.

"Sorry man," the tall one said then he looked at his friend. "Let's go."

"Tell your buddies to stay away too. I'm tired of cleanin up your shit," Dean yelled at them.

"W-we'll tell them," the kid in the ac/dc shirt stammered before backing away from the door.

Dean watched them back away cautiously from him before hitting the bottom stair turn and run as fast as they could away from the house.

He sighed, threw the bags out to join the pile of garbage and slammed the door shut. "Great now I get to look out for your loser high friends too," he complained to himself.

He hobbled back into his room and opened his duffle. Pulling out his gun he checked that it was loaded and slipped it into the back of his jeans. Then he pulled out his knife and placed it under his pillow. Now that he was prepared he could go back to work.

Dean paused. Now that he'd swept up all the crap off the floor what was he going to take on next? Looking at his wall he figured he could fill all the holes in the walls. That was going to take him hours and for the most part he could do it without relying on a crutch to keep him up. Decision made he hobbled back to the living room.

Digging through the supplies once again he came up with two putty knives and wall mud. After mixing up the mud properly he dished out a small amount onto his large putty knife and put the lid back on the tub. He put the full putty knife down for a moment, put the small putty knife into his pocket and grabbed the crutch that was leaning up against the wall next to him. Getting himself settled on the crutch he took a deep settling breath before picking up the large putty knife and thought about heading back to his room. But one look in the living room gave him a slight pause. The music was here, he was already here and there were plenty of small holes to fill.

He set to work on the living room walls for the spaces he could reach. By the time the sun was going down his stomach was rumbling loudly, his chest hurt, he'd opened many of his lacerations and every one of his bruises were yelling at him.

Satisfied he'd done the best he could do on the area he put the putty knives down on a small rickety table where he easily get them tomorrow. He gave a small groan as he surveyed the room again. He'd need to use a ladder tomorrow to get some of the higher holes that he didn't get. Immediately he tossed the notion aside. He was bored not suicidal. Sammy was tall enough to get most of the left over holes, and for the ones he couldn't reach he could use the ladder.

Then he headed to the kitchen to see what there was to eat that didn't require a can opener.

0000000000000

Dean awoke with a start. He sat up quickly in his bed wincing as his ribsviolently protested the movement. Stilling he closed his eyes and cocked his head as he listened to the quiet.

Whispering voices made him swing his legs over the side of his bed and grab his trusty knife that was nestled under his pillow. Hoping that it was his Dad and brother, but not expecting it, he also grabbed his gun that had been sitting on the headboard.

He forced himself to get up when he saw beams of light dancing in the hallway and he knew they had flashlights. He knew he had to fight and he wished that he'd told his father to drop him at Bobby's.

Dean tucked the gun in the back of his track pants, and settled himself as best he could on his good leg, and settled his mind as well. If his mind wasn't settled he'd lose concentration in a fight and that was a guaranteed loss. Dean didn't lose. He had a knife, he had a gun and he had been trained by John Winchester, Pastor Jim, Bobby and Caleb. Dean did not lose.

The first guy came into the room and Dean felt himself tense followed by the two teenagers that he'd chased off earlier that day. He could see four others in the shadows behind them.

Dean groaned inwardly. Seven against one on one of his best days wouldn't be an easy fight. With a busted leg and multiple wounds it would be near impossible. But Dean hadn't backed down from a fight before and would not back down from this one.

"This is what chased you two off?" the man scoffed in the darkness.

"Get out," Dean growled.

"Yeah? You and what army freak?" the teen taunted and slightly slurred.

Dean gauged by the voice and the height that he was no more than a fifteen year old punk. Drunk and/or high punk at that. "Don't need an army. Got all the tools I need to kick your drunken ass out of my place."

Laughter could be heard coming from the hallway and from the fifteen year old in front of him.

"Do you actually know what happens to you when you smoke that stuff?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. I get high. I get super powers. I kick ass," the kid said as he took a step closer.

Dean bent his knee and still kept his balance. His hand loosened it's hold slightly on the knife. "Super powers? Really? Well I know you can't fly, so you spin webs, drive the bat car, or do you have that oh so special lasso from wonder woman?"

"No," the teenager said as he took anther step forward.

"Huh. Maybe you just go for the Scooby snacks then?" Dean said. "You know. Getting high gives you the munchies an all."

"Think yur funny?" The boy slurred.

"Normally yeah, but not tonight," Dean said in a low tone. "Tonight I'm going to kick your ass, then the rest of your punk buddies are going down, then I'll toss you out like the rest of the trash that I've cleaned out of here."

"You aint got nothing," the boy said as he wavered on his feet slightly. "But a casted leg that will slow you down."

"Maybe. But I'm sober and you can't see straight let alone talk properly," Dean said.

The kid brought something out of his pocket and a soft snick was heard. "I've got a knife."

"Yeah he's got a knife," one of the kids said and a chorus of giggles erupted in the hallway.

"Oh yeah? Listen kid it's not much of a threat if I can't see it," Dean shot back then rolled his eyes as the teenager moved the flashlight away from him and onto the small switchblade. He shook his head. He gave Sammy one three times the size of that little thing on his eleventh birthday.

"Huh. Hmmm. Well I guess you think I should be scared now?" Dean asked then chuckled. "Boy you'd better learn that if you want to play with the big boys you need bigger and better materials. This here's a knife. That's a toy."

The light swung around to the knife Dean was holding up in his hand.

Dean almost smiled at the silence. "How are your throwing skills kid? I hit a bulls eye every time," he asked as he flipped the blade into the palm of his hand and made like he was going to throw it.

"Move!" the teen screamed and the kids ran out of the room.

Dean could hear the stomping feet all the way into the living room and out the door. He would hear their fearful voices outside as they ran from the house. For the first time he was glad he wasn't near a major town. A real gang would have torn him limb from limb. These were just kids, drunker then they should have been and looking for a little fun.

He half sat half collapsed onto the bed. He knew if they returned with friends he wouldn't get off so easily. He hadn't saved Sammy from being hurt on the last job and he wouldn't be able to defend himself if they came back.

With a heavy heart full of frustration and feelings of failure he knew he couldn't stay here on his own. Looking at his watch he realized that it was just after midnight and he knew Bobby would be up.

Picking up he cell phone that rested on the headboard he dialled Bobby's number. It was answered on the third ring.

"What?" Bobby yelled into the phone.

"Uh hey Bobby. It's Dean," he said uncertainly.

"Hey," Bobby replied.

Dean frowned slightly as he could hear his friend moving stuff around and closed his eyes. "Is this a bad time? I mean you're not on a date or anything are ya?"

"Boy do you really think if I was on a date I'd be answering the phone?" Bobby shot back but the noises in the back ground stopped.

"Depends on who's hunting and who's in danger," Dean said smartly.

Bobby chuckled slightly. "True. Your Dad and brother still there?"

"Naw they only stayed the night and were gone in the morning," Dean said softly and suddenly he wondered if his father had stopped at a motel or if Sammy was driving. He hated being alone.

"Where were they off to in such a hurry anyway?" Bobby asked.

Dean paused slightly. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me and he made Sammy not tell me either."

"Driving you nuts huh?" Bobby asked. "Stubborn old fool your father is. Bet he figured you'd hot wire a car to join him."

Dean shook his head and didn't rise to the bait. "I'm sure he had his reasons Bobby," he said softly. He was just too tired to take the bait for an all out banter session.

"You're not all right are you?" Bobby asked gruffly.

"I… Things are ok… It's just… some of the locals," Dean tried to explain but found himself choking on the words of his failure.

"It aint rocket science or Latin boy just spit it out," Bobby said.

Dean chuckled slightly even though he could hear the concern Bobby's voice. "Some local kids just paid me a visit. They were all high as a kite and I was able to chase them off but if they come back sober it won't be so easy."

"You sure they'll be back?" Bobby asked.

"I don't think they'll be back tonight but tomorrow is another story," Dean admitted feeling is cheeks flush slightly.

"You know we could let them break the other leg. You'd have a matching set. Then we could let Caleb and Sam decorate them," he started. "Another precious memory to add to the Winchester adventures."

"I don't want matching casts. I don't care how cute you think they'd look or how you'd decorate them," Dean yelled and heard his friend laughing on the other end of the line. "Bobby this isn't funny!"

"Well now that depends on where you're sitting," Bobby said then sobered slightly. "Dean I know I promised that I'd be there but I'm headin to Idaho tonight."

Dean frowned. "You're leavin for Idaho? What the hell is in Idaho?"

"Alicia and the kids," Bobby said.

"Oh yeah I forgot Alicia lived up there. Sorry Bobby no disrespect intended there. How is your sister?" Dean asked.

"Alicia and her kids were in a car accident," Bobby said softly.

"Jesus Bobby I hope they're all ok," Dean said softly.

"Dean I don't know how long I'll be gone but I'll call Pastor Jim," Bobby offered.

"Nah it's ok Bobby," Dean said and let out a heavy sigh. "Dad left me a piece. I guess pain meds can make me a bit jittery."

Dean finished up his conversation with his friend quickly. He pushed end on his cell phone and started down at it in the dark. "Too bad Dad didn't leave me any JD to look after the pain instead."


	5. Day 3

**Renovations**

**Day 3**

By infinite shadow

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never will be. Just playing with the characters for a bit and will return them a little worse for wear when I'm eventually done with them. No infringement is intended just stretching my muse a little.

**Author's notes:** Thanks for your patience folks. The wedding was a blast and the renovations are all but over. Soon I'll be back to my normal wierd self. But for now I offer the following chapter of Renovations as my current version of stress relief. As always let me know what you think good or bad.

Pls note that there is some violence in this chapter as well as some swearing, but no more than what you would see on TV.

Also a big thank you out to lynxlan who did her usual magic with betaing and to Heather for the invaluable medical reference and beta. Thanks girls!!! This has been updated since getting it back so if you see any errors they are all mine.

Much hurt!Dean ahead. Ye be warned.

* * *

It had taken Dean a little while to get his heart to stop racing. As much as he hated to admit it the attack had shaken him. Not wanting to fall asleep he shifted back and leaned up against the wall. 

Starring into the darkness the only sound he could hear was his heart pounded in his ears. This wouldn't be the end of the kids coming to the house and threatening him. He knew it. The thought of having to fight off another attack left him feeling dizzy and sick. The odds were definitely not in his favour and another return visit would turn bad. He just didn't have the strength to fight anyone else off.

How many more would come? What would they do? The only thing he did know was that the next visit would not go as well as the last two had. He was not giving up just doing what he usually did. He was weighing the odds and they were decidedly not in his favour. The knife and gun while helpful did not tip the scales anymore. Realistically he knew the only real questions were how long he could fight, and when he could no longer defend himself, how many of them he would take down with him.

Sighing heavily he leaned his throbbing head back against the wall. He desperately wanted to not be alone. As selfish as it was he really wanted his little brother here fussing over him and making a general nuisance out of himself. Sammy would. It's what he did when his big brother got injured.

Wincing in pain he allowed himself to slowly tilt to the side allowing the wall to help him lie down. It took quite a while for him to relax but as the sun began to lighten the sky in a dull beige colour his heart seemed to slow, his eyes finally closed and his breathing evened out in sleep.

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Dean opened his eyes with a slight groan. Various part of his body felt as though they were on fire. He slowly got to his feet and wavered slightly with the rest of the room before stilling.

"I'm going to be glad when the room stops doing this," he mumbled.

He grabbed three towels and a bar of soap from his duffle. He took one crutch and began to carefully rest the majority of his weight on it. Gasping in pain he pitched forward and almost dropped the crutch just as his weight had begun to settle on them. His arm pits had been getting tender from having to use the crutches, but they had not been this sore yesterday.

Glaring at the offensive wooden sticks he frowned deeply because he knew he hadn't been injured there. It had been one of the few places that had been left unscathed from the last hunt.

Sighing heavily he clenched his teeth and settled himself onto the crutch. Breathing against the pain that seemed to pulse through his entire body he made his way into the bathroom.

Ignoring the vile state of the room as best he could he turned on the water. Laying one of the towels on the floor he stood on it and removed his boxers. He grimaced in pain as he began to pull his shirt off. The cotton had stuck to the wounds as he'd slept and it felt like he was ripping off all the skin around his chest and back. He let out a quiet grunt of pain as he finished pulling the shirt off. He stared at his shirt and saw dots and slashes of red all over it.

Every wound throbbed now. Each one a little voice of pain vying for his attention. He glanced down at his bare chest and arms. A few of the wounds seemed to have sealed over on their way to being healed but most were puffy and an angry red colour. They seemed to be either bleeding or oozing a clear fluid. Some also had red lines trailing away from the wounds.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Infection was beginning to settle in and he had nothing that would really fight it. He was sure that the med kit that he needed was still safely tucked into the hidden compartment of the Impala.

He knew down to the depths of his soul that Sammy would be generally freaking out. But it was his father's reaction that he needed most right now. He would be completely calm, his voice even but gruff and laced with tenderness, as he took care of the situation. Of course Dean knew that it didn't mean his father wasn't freaking out as well he just hid it better. When he'd recovered at the least he'd receive a huge lecture on first aid and looking after himself properly. At worst his days would be filled with workouts, research and mundane jobs that he loathed. And he would not be able to look after the Impala. No tinkering under the hood, no washing her or cleaning her leather. It all depended on how much he scared or angered his father.

With a weary sigh he looked at the disgusting tub he knew there was no way he would get into the shower, but he had to cool his burning body. He soaked down one of the hand towels in the cool water, scrubbed the soap over it and began washing his chest. His face scrunched up in pain as the soap found its way into the open wounds and cleaned out the cuts.

By the time he was done the hand towel was stained red by his blood. He shuffled back into his room with one hand on the towel around his hips.

He dressed at a very slow pace waiting for the stinging and outright painful wounds to dissipate. He grabbed the first aid kit and sluggishly went into the kitchen with his head low. The cleaning he'd just given his battered body had exhausted him and he craved a cup of coffee. Dropping the kit on the table he prepped the coffee and turned it on then allowed himself to collapse into a kitchen chair.

Slowly he began to remove the gauze that was wrapped around his injured arm. He swore softly as the last of the no longer white material pulled away from the wound. The once pristine and sterile gauze was stained a light yellow colour. He grimaced as he caught an odour from the wound and as he looked down at the wound his jaw dropped slightly. It was bright red around the torn flesh, swollen and puss was oozing out from different points of the gash. There were red lines coming away from the wound here too, just like on his stomach, but here they were longer, thicker and dark red. They snaked out from his wound and were creeping up towards his shoulder.

Dad was going to kick his ass after he got better for letting it get infected. He could feel his heartbeat speed up slightly knowing how much this would upset his family.

Taking a calming breath he opened the kit and pulled out the supplies he would need to clean and re-bandage the wound. He wasn't sure how much it would help, but he had to do something.

By the time he had secured the gauze with tape he felt light headed, he wanted to throw up and he wished the painful throbbing would stop.

He needed to call his father, let him know about the state he was in. Just wanted someone there to help him so he could just go back and lie down and forget this entire mess he was in. He wished his little brother was there making a fuss over him. That was something Sammy did well.

He looked around the empty house and found himself missing his kid brother horribly. Closing his eyes he forced himself to remember why he was here alone without Sam. He'd failed. He deserved all the pain his body was going through. He looked at the bottle of painkillers lunged out and swiped them off the table.

He cursed as pain seemed to coil around his ribs and shot out into the rest of his body. He made himself take slow shallow breaths.

He wouldn't take another pill. He deserved the pain, not just for failing, because he'd failed Sammy. Shaking his head slightly he took a calming breath then leaned forward and allowed his head to rest on his uninjured arm.

Images began sliding across his eyelids like a slide show. Vivid colours, flesh wounds in the deepest and brightest reds, Sammy's screams that came out neon yellow and inky dark blackness that had tore him from consciousness.

His eyes opened and his little brother screams echoed in his ears as if the sound had just left Sam's mouth. Dean shivered slightly and sat up with a sigh. He needed Sammy here so he could watch over him. He always watched over him and it felt wrong when Sammy was gone for too long.

Glancing at his watch he realized that his thirteen year old brother was just hours away from being tested. He'd been tested at the age of nine when he'd been hunting the snow monster with his father. When that hunt had gone wrong he'd gone for help and had almost been too late to save Jesse and his father. But his brother wasn't like him, he was softer, gentler, kind hearted, and had not really gotten used to destroying spirits or burning remains. Dean had learned very quickly to put up a wall, several of them, to protect him from getting too close to the hunt much like his father did.

If he needed to have walls built as high as the Empire State building to keep his brother safe then he had no problem with that. He'd done everything to protect Sammy from anything that could scare or hurt him, including hunting when he was younger.

And now he couldn't be where he was needed most. His brother was hunting without him. It almost felt like he was being punished for getting hurt.

Dean just hoped his father took into consideration his previous wounds before allowing Sammy to do this hunt alone.

Yawning he glanced at the coffee pot and silently wished it to finish faster.

Thinking back to the attack last night he figured he'd have to find a way to secure the perimeter of the building before he got to sleep tonight, or he wouldn't be sleeping much. Dean hoped he could find some wood outside or he'd be putting up sheets of drywall as protection and he figured that would be a waste of time. One solid kick and the board would be toast then he'd be next. He'd have to secure all the windows and doors. Frowning deeply he knew that would take him all day.

Sighing heavily he stood up and poured a cup of coffee. He sat back down at the table again and figured out a plan of attack for the day. He had to find a way to secure the perimeter with the right materials. Then he would continue filling holes in the other rooms.

He took a drink of his coffee and his stomach rolled slightly at the first taste of caffeine. Sam had left some small boxes of cereal on the table and he figured he should have breakfast even though he wasn't hungry. It was unusual to get these but he never got frosted flakes so he ripped open the small box. If Sammy were here he would have just leaned back and dumped the entire box into his mouth and chewed with his mouth open just to get a reaction.

He dumped a small handful into his hand and tossed them into his mouth. Immediately his stomach lurched as he gagged on the sugary taste. Tossing the box away he lunged up to the sink as he spat out the offending cereal. The room spun nastily around him, his arm had banged against the counter making it throb and the fresh gauze he'd just applied began to turn red as the wound bled. Ignoring it he closed his eyes and leaned against the counter.

He didn't know how long he'd stayed there for but when he opened his eyes the room had stopped moving and his stomach seemed to have settled. Ignoring the mess in the kitchen he staggered slightly as he grabbed his crutches and swore as his sore arm pits made contact with the hard crutches. Taking small baby like steps he headed into the living room.

He sank down onto the couch, dropped his crutches to the floor with a bang and he grimaced at the loud noise as he dropped his head into his hands. He had to do better than this or his father would be all over him at the minimum of extra workouts at most he wouldn't trust him to stay on his own and watch over Sammy. Neither one of the choices were acceptable. He would do the extra workouts without question. It was expected after major injuries to do that. It was part of Dad's rehab process and he'd been injured enough to know what to do.

He was already questioning himself on looking after Sammy. Even though he knew every quirk that kid had, he knew about the ones Sammy didn't know he had, and still he didn't know if he should be allowed to watch over him. Hunting or not.

Now he couldn't even be counted on to look after himself enough to not let his wounds get infected.

The room stilled and he sat up then leaned back against the couch. He took a shallow breath and let it out slowly. Closing his eyes he assessed his condition. He was hot but he wasn't sweating or shivering.

"Crap," he muttered.

He struggled to get the crutches off the floor and then slowly got to his feet. The room tilted again but stilled quickly. Taking his time he made his way into his bedroom and grabbed his duffle bag.

"Thank God for little brothers," he mumbled. He thumbed off the lid of the bottle that Sam had insisted he keep in his duffle separate from the first aid kit, dumped three of the Tylenol into his palm and swallowed them dry.

He was pretty sure they wouldn't help very much, but maybe they'd ease the headache that he had.

He rubbed his forehead slightly as he thought about his options. He'd already called Bobby, he should call his father or there was another number that he hadn't called; a number that he didn't want to call.

He pulled out his cell phone and stared at it. It had been hard enough to call Bobby but to admit that he needed help to someone else was unacceptable. Winchesters didn't ask for help, they struggled through and handled everything on their own. Isn't that what his father had taught him and Sam growing up? Didn't his father expect him to deal with his injuries on his own while he was away?

Asking for help was tempting but not acceptable in his father's eyes. As much as he needed someone here with him he tossed the phone onto the bed silently vowing to himself not to make the call. Carefully and slowly he sat on the bed beside it.

He'd only been up for a couple of hours but exhaustion was overwhelming and he allowed his eyes to close just for a second. A moment later his breathing was deep and regular.

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Dean was out for several hours until his cell phone rang. One hand reached out as he cleared his throat. He punched to talk button and brought it to his ear. "Yeah," he said with a rough voice. He sniffed softly and frowned. The room smelled funny, his throat burned slightly as if he'd just drunk several mouthfuls of too hot coffee, and the room was dark again.

"Dean?"

Dean blinked for a minute staring blankly at the ceiling above him until he realized who the gruff voice on the other end of the phone belonged to. "Hey Dad. How's the hunt?"

"We're about to start. Report," he asked.

Dean could hear faint sounds on the other end of the phone. "All good here."

There was a slight pause, catch of a breath and something moved against the mouth piece.

Dean could imagine his father in a dingy motel hundreds of miles away. Packing supplies for the hunt, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder making his beard move against the phone.

"How much Dean?" John asked.

"I did some cleaning up with exception to the bathroom. That's too disgusting even for me to touch. Patched some holes and had a party," Dean said and cringed as his voice cracked slightly.

The noises stopped on the other end of the line. "Son what's wrong?"

"Nothing sir. I'm fine," Dean lied as he scrunched his face up as if it would stop the room from spinning_. Except that you left me hurt and alone in this crappy house_ he added silently.

John sighed heavily. "Dean if I come back and find out you're lying to me laps are going to be the least of your problems. Now tell me."

Dean started at the ceiling and swallowed heavily. "Um… Well… I think that I might have an infection or two."

"Symptoms?" John asked.

"I'm a bit dizzy, there's puss and some of the cuts are more swollen then they should be," Dean frowned as he sniffed and glanced down at the side of the bed. "I threw up."

"Jesus," John muttered.

_Red streaks running from the wounds and watery discharge but you don't want to hear that _Dean added mentally.

"Why didn't you call me Dean?" John asked softly.

"I called Bobby but he got called away from something else. You'll be back soon Dad. I'll be ok until you get here. Just don't take too long?" He said and cringed again this time at the neediness of his voice.

"I'll call Jim," John started to say.

"No. No way. Pastor Jim's your back up. I can wait Dad. Really. Just do the job and get back here. Don't make it a test Dad. Just do the job with Sammy," he pleaded softly then shook his head slightly.

"Dean," John said his voice hesitant.

"Just keep Sammy safe and get back," Dean pleaded as the room started to spin around him again. The bile started creeping up the back of his throat. Man he hated feeling like this.

"We're coming now son," John promised.

"No Dad I'm all right for a couple more days," Dean said but knew he was lying. "Just do the job and keep each other safe. Sammy's nervous enough that if you just pull up and leave he'll think it's entirely his fault."

"I'll explain," John tried.

"No Dad. H-he won't believe you," Dean insisted trying to keep awake. "He won't understand."

John sighed again and Dean could imagine him running a hand down his face as he thought about it.

"Fine. We'll do the job and be on the road tonight," John said.

"Ok," Dean said.

The call ended and Dean breathed once through his nose, turned and threw up again. He rolled onto his back. The room twisted and shifted out of focus and every time he moved his wounds screamed at him to stop. Swallowing he wished he'd brought some water in the room with him.

The phone rang again. A small smile graced his pale face as he picked it up and hit talk. "Yeah."

"Hi," Sam said softly.

"Hey Sammy," Dean said. "Ready to do this?"

"Yeah," Sam said the worry in his voice coming through in waves. "Dad says you're sick?"

"He's exaggerating," Dean said immediately. He hated the fact that he'd just given his little brother one more thing to worry about on the hunt. On the other hand his brother's concerned voice was like a balm to his wounds.

"You sound bad," Sam said.

Dean blinked. He was hearing more than concern in the teen's voice there was outright fear. He took a shallow breath to calm his racing heart and help steady his voice. He had to at least try to sound strong for his little brother. There was no way he'd allow Sammy to get hurt again because he was distracted by worrying about his injured older brother.

"Sammy I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just go kick that ugly mother of a ghost into hell. You hear me?" Dean said strongly.

There was a slight pause from the other end of the line.

Dean could imagine his little brother setting his face, pursing his lips as he got ready to yell at him for being a miserable jerk.

"Fine. Be a jerk. Just … Just take care of yourself," Sam said heatedly.

"Yeah love you too Sammy boy," Dean shot back as the grin returned to his face. "I want every detail when you return. And you'd better be in one piece. Understood?"

"Yeah," Sam said. All anger and heat were gone from his voice replaced by doubt and fear. There was another long pause as if he didn't want to end the call. "I'll call when it's over?"

"You'd better. You promised," Dean said and winced as pain shot through his arm and could have sworn sympathetic pain shot through his chest. The room began to tilt and spin in earnest now. As much as he wanted to settle his little brother before the hunt he just wanted the damn room to stay in one spot and stop moving.

"Kay. Dad says we havta go now," Sam said softly and paused.

"You'll do great Sammy. I know you will," Dean said supportively as he clenched his eyes shut against the spinning room.

"Ok. Bye Dean," Sam said softly then ended the call.

Dean barely managed to hit the end button before dropping the phone and passing out.

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Everything hurt. His entire body seemed to be one big throbbing mass of hurt. Pain radiated out of every pour, hair and fingernail. He found that it was suddenly hot, too hot, and he raised a hand to his forehead. His forehead was just as hot as the rest of him.

Dean knew he should get up and take some aspirin or whatever was available in the med kit. He wasn't sure but he thought he might have a fever.

"Crap," he muttered. "I don't need a freakin cold on top of everything else."

He knew he was lying to himself, knew that he had several infected wounds, but he couldn't seem to care.

He struggled to get the blankets out from under him but it took far too much effort. He gave up and pulled the rest of the blankets that were hanging over the side of the bed overtop of him and rolled onto his back. The room spun around him and he closed his eyes in the darkness and allowed himself to fall into sleep.

0000000000000

Dean tossed and turned slightly on the bed as the night dragged on. His fever filled dreams shifted between his mother telling him what an awful son he'd turned out to be. He'd watched his hunter friends, Jim and Bobby, being hurt by his mistakes. Several times he dreamed different scenarios of Sammy and his father screaming his name for help as he just stood there and watched them get hurt or killed right in front of him.

He was brought out of his fever dreams as the bed moved and reluctantly Dean opened his eyes. Blinking in confusion at the silhouette that hovered above him he frowned. For a moment he thought he was lying on a football field. "Coach?" he croaked out wondering if he'd made the touchdown.

"Freak thinks I'm his coach," the silhouette sneered.

Dean sighed. He didn't feel very good. His body felt like it was on fire, he hurt everywhere and he wondered where his family was.

Snickers from behind the dark figure brought flashes of memory of the last couple of days. "Oh crap," Dean whispered.

He struggled to get up but found every more made the room spin faster. He knew that he had to protect himself. Lunging for the gun on the headboard he gasped as his injured arm was struck. Instead of wrapping his hand around cold metal of his gun, he found himself being roughly yanked out of the bed and shoved into two guys. He was twisted around forcefully as two sets of hands clamped over his biceps like manacles.

"You scare the shit out of my little brothers with a knife and now you try to pull a gun on me?" the older teen demanded.

"You tell him Frank," one of the other kids snickered as he held Dean up.

Dean was seeing double and his heart hammered in his chest. Each individual cut seemed to be screaming and he blinked rapidly to clear his vision. He wished vainly that his father was here or that Bobby had come for him.

Frank glared at Dean, stepped back and grabbed the gun off of the night stand. He frowned and sniffed the air. He scrunched up his face in disgust as he looked down at the floor and saw the puddle of vomit he was standing in. "Man that's disgusting."

"Eww," the guys on either side of Dean said simultaneously.

Frank looked up and looked at Dean with inescapable anger in his eyes. "You're gonna pay for that."

Dean closed his eyes knowing he was in trouble. The guy looked like he was a body builder and his friends looked like football players. By the sounds of it they were stone cold sober, or sober enough not to be scared away. He was going to lose this one. There was just no way around it.

"Maybe I should use this on you, huh?" Frank demanded as he carelessly waved the gun around. "Give you a little taste of fear that you gave my brothers earlier?"

Dean opened his eyes and looked steadily at Frank. He smiled knowing there were two ways out of this. Breathing or a body bag. "You need a gun to do the hard work for you Frank?" He goaded.

Frank narrowed his eyes at the taunt and tossed the weapon on the bed.

Dean felt a small bit of relief now that his own gun wasn't pointed at him. Now all he had to do was survive being a punching bag.

Frank cracked his knuckles as a grin slowly grew on his face. "Hold him good boys. This is gonna be fun," Frank said with a eerie calmness.

Dean shivered at Frank's tone as he heard snickers on either side of him and the manacles dug in deeper. He swallowed heavily. He'd been beaten up before but he'd always found a way to get the upper hand. There was always a backup, a person jumping in to help out or a weapon. Now he was alone and he was going down. Panic began to grow in the pit of his stomach as he knew it wouldn't take much to put him down. He struggled to get his arms loose but he boys on either side just held tight.

"Gonna teach you a lesson in respect boy," Frank said as he took a step forward.

Dean took a breath to steady himself, and to prepare himself for the first blow. He closed his eyes just as Frank's fist made contact with his cheek, gasped as the second blow hit his stomach and the hands continued to hold him up as he doubled over. He tried to hold back a scream as a knee slammed into his groin and he did scream as Frank kicked his broken ankle.

The room spun and Dean's head pounded as more punches hit his mouth, eye and nose. He thought he felt something in his chest give when he received another blow to his chest. The hands that were attached to his biceps were the only reason he was still standing.

When another kick to his broken ankle broke the plaster cast he howled in pain and Frank's friends let him go.

Dean lay on the floor for a moment too stunned and disoriented to do anything else.

"Maybe he's had enough Frank," a voice said above Dean.

"No. He's still awake. I'm gonna knock him into next week," Frank growled.

Dean struggled to get to his hands and knees. They trembled under his weight and he shook his head slightly to try and clear it. He blinked down at the floor fascinated at the stream of blood that came from his mouth and pooled on the floor. For a moment he wondered if he'd lost any of his teeth.

He blinked slowly, things went in and out of focus and he shook his head again. Dean knew they were talking above him, angry voices, panicked voices, but they seemed to be garbled. He wondered idly why the voices were so loud.

Something fell off his bed, but he couldn't focus on it. Dean winced at the movement and tensed waiting for the next shot that he knew would be a kick to his ribs because it was what he would do.

He tried to think of any prayers that Pastor Jim may have taught him over the years but he came up blank. Not that he believed, it just seemed like the thing he should be doing.

He blinked a couple more times and when nothing happened he risked a glanced to the side. There were a set of legs in front of him. He chanced a look upwards and there was a man in front of him fighting the three guys that had ripped him out of his bed.

Dean's arms gave out as Frank fell to the floor not far from him. As his vision continued to swim in and out of focus he could see that Frank was unconscious and bloodied. Another body fell near Dean with a groan as the sixteen year old lost his battle with consciousness and passed out.


	6. Day 4

**Disclaimer:** Just the usual. Not mine, never will be, shame really.

**Author's notes:** Thanks out to lynxlan and Heather for the great betas and advice on this chapter. Thanks girls. That said I've changed it a bit since getting it back so please forgive any lingering errors...

Hope you enjoy this offering and if I haven't gotten back to you personally thank you for the reviews.

Read on ...

**Renovations**

**By infinite shadow**

**Day 4**

Several hours earlier…

John hit the end button on his cell phone and stared at it for a moment.

"_I can wait Dad. Just do the job and get back here. Don't make it a test Dad. Do the job with Sammy_. _Just do the job and keep each other safe."_

His oldest son's words echoed in his mind and John knew Dean was hurting badly. The pain in his voice was so raw he could feel it this many miles away and all Dean was really worried about was his little brother Sammy. John smiled sadly. It was something he'd insisted upon yet it still saddened him that it had to be done.

"Dad?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yeah?" John said with a quiet sigh as he came out of his thoughts and looked up at his youngest boy.

"Car's loaded with the gear we'll need," he said as he shoved both hands into his jacket pocket. "Dean ok?"

"No he's not but we still need to do the job," John said.

"Yes sir," Sam said quickly.

"This is no longer a test son. It's going to be fast and dirty. You stick with me the entire time. The faster this is done the quicker we can get back to Dean," John said seriously but softly hoping that his son understood that even though he was asking for all out expediency he needed to watch over his youngest son in Dean's stead.

"Yes sir," Sam repeated. He was all for getting back to his big brother quickly. He hadn't wanted to leave him injured and alone in the first place.

John smiled and tossed his phone at Sam. "Call him."

Sam caught the phone effortlessly and hit redial. As the call connected and he heard his brother's voice he couldn't help the small grin that lit up his tired face. "Hi," he said softly as he sat down on his bed.

John shook his head slightly and got up. Looking around he grabbed their duffels and headed out to the car. He threw the bags in the back, alongside the weapons that had been prepared for tonight's battle and gently closed the lid.

He leaned against his black beauty. They'd go in, do the job, and get back to Dean. But he knew in his heart that it would take too long. His son needed someone with him now.

His oldest son's voice had told him everything he needed to know. He was sick and afraid. When things got bad and in the worst hunts Dean never let anyone see his fear or pain. If his son was letting it show now it meant he needed help. Help he could send but not be there for.

For once he wished his "I'm ok, don't need pain meds or downtime but is Sammy ok" son would just tell him he needed help. There was strength in holding your own, but it took a stronger man to ask for help. Maybe he'd been a little too lax in that rule. One he'd have to work on when his boy was back up on his feet again, literally.

"We leaving?" Sam asked as he came out of the motel room and handed his father the phone.

"Yeah. Do the final room check for me will you? We're checking out," John said as he straightened up.

Sam nodded. "Dean sounds bad."

"I know. The job won't take us that long Sam," he said softly as he put a hand on his son's bony shoulder and gave a slight squeeze. "Room check."

Sam pursed his lips. "Fine," he said as he turned and went back into the room.

John shook his head slightly and gave a slight smile. No matter how much that boy ate it never seemed to make it onto his body. Sam looked like he never ate, which was far from the case.

With a heavy sigh he punched in another number into his cell phone and headed for the motel office.

"Look sweetheart I told you I was sorry but something came up. I promise I'll make it up to you," the voice said on the other end.

"Well that's nice dear but I have a change of plans for you," John said with a smirk.

The voice on the other end of the line laughed. "John Winchester. Figured I might hear from you tonight."

"Oh yeah?" John asked as he handed the manager the room key and left the office.

"Yeah," the man said and his tone softened. "Heard about Dean. I'm on my way to him."

"ETA?" John asked over the overwhelming feeling of relief.

"Couple of hours but I'll be there as fast as I can," he said.

John nodded. "Fine. I want an update as soon as you can get me one. Sammy and I have a job to do and as soon as it's done we'll be heading back. But we're several hours away and the job will take a few hours."

"Don't worry. Dean'll be in good hands," the man said.

"Really," John said with a snort. "This from the man who gave him his first Hustler and first trip to a bar? God only knows what you showed him in there."

"Ah that's between him and Miss Candy," the man shot back with a western drawl and a snicker.

"Jesus man," John groaned.

The man laughed heartily. "Oh come on. The skin mag yeah, actually he found my stash before I showed him anything, and I only brought him into the bar to show him how I hustled pool. That's all. Anything else that boy's figured out on his own. You got your hands full with that one John."

John ran a hand through his hair then grinned. "You taught him enough to give me grey hair."

"Exactly," the man said with a humorous edge to his tone.

John almost laughed but with one thought to his son's predicament he sobered entirely. "Uh listen," he started but got cut off before he could say anything else.

"No sweat John really. I'll call when I've got something," the man said then ended the call.

Actually the man behind the wheel was beginning to really worry. Dean was still a few hours away and he pressed down harder on the accelerator. A worried call from Bobby had him shoving clothes into his duffle and on the road within ten minutes. But a call from the great Jonathan Winchester had him doubling his speed.

The two calls could only mean one thing. Dean was in dire straits and should have never been left on his own.

He drove his car at the top speed and at his limits as a driver. He broke every speed limit as he made it to the house and even then it took him three hours to get there.

Pulling into the drive way he couldn't believe what he was seeing. A broken down old house and lawn littered with debris and garbage. He took a second to steel himself for what he would find in the house, always fearing the worst.

Then he was out of the truck and silently running up to the door to find it was already open.

Muffled voices came from inside so he decided not to announce himself. He didn't make a sound as he moved stealthily through the front room and down the hallway towards the voices.

"Maybe he's had enough Frank," a voice said.

"No. He's still awake. I'm goin to knock him into next week," another voice, the man presumed to be Frank, said.

Hearing all he'd cared to the man strode into the room. "How about I introduce you to next month?"

As he moved into the room he saw Dean struggle to his hands and knees. Blood flowed out of the teen's mouth and it enraged him.

Without breaking his stride he moved right up to Frank. He raised his right forearm to block a punch and followed through with his left. His fist landed hard on the side of Frank's face, snapping his head to the side. Frank head lolled back and he blinked once before the man struck him in the eye.

Blood spurted out of Frank's nose and the corner of his eye as he fell back, bounced off the bed and landed hard to the floor.

The man turned to the other two kids who'd hung back.

"Hey we don't want any trouble," the blonde haired kid said with his hands up in front of him as if that would be enough to defend himself.

"Let me guess. You two held him so Frank here could beat him up?" He asked disgustedly. "Easy to beat wounded prey, isn't it?"

He stepped forward quickly allowing his rage to take over. He shoved the dark haired kid into the wall. The blonde haired kid came at him with a growl.

Two punches to the kid's head and one to his stomach felled the boy next to Frank.

In his peripheral vision he saw Dean slowly collapse to the floor.

"Son of a bitch," the man growled.

The dark haired punk took a run at Dean's rescuer and he reacted instantly. He grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a head butt. Then he shoved his knee into the teen's chest as he went down. With a whimper the teen fell hard to his knees as he doubled over in pain. With a final punch to the side of the kid's head the boy fell bonelessly to the floor unconscious.

"Assholes," the man swore at them.

Kneeling beside Dean he gently touched his throat checking his pulse. Frowning he pulled back and shook his head slightly. He gently laid a hand against Dean's bloody cheek and found that he was burning with fever.

With surprising gentleness the man picked up Dean and laid him on the bed. He already knew the teen needed a hospital but he did a quick check for injuries. He swore a long dark streak as he pulled up the torn shirt and saw the numerous wounds on the boy's chest.

"Damnit kid. Why didn't you call me?" he asked softly.

Pulling the torn material back down he slung Dean's duffle over his back as there was no way they were coming back here. Then he wrapped the teen in a blanket and gathered the boy in his arms. He walked out of the room and house without feeling remorse for the older teens he'd left beaten and bloody.

Dean moaned softly as the man moved him to lean against his car so he could get him inside.

"S'ok kid. I've got you. You'll be as good as new in no time," the man said.

He sat Dean in the passenger seat and secured the seatbelt around him. He pretended not to notice the blood seeping through his t-shirt and previously applied gauze.

Rushing around his car he got in, laid rubber as he backed out of the driveway and sped into the small town nearby.

It really wasn't much of a town. All it had was a single block consisting of stores and services. The hospital was more like a clinic and he feared it wouldn't be enough. It would have to be and as long as they could get the kid stable he could get him somewhere safe so he could recover in peace.

He opened the door of his car before the car had come to a complete stop. A nurse rushed out of the building.

"I need a stretcher now," the man shouted before she'd gotten to close.

She stopped and gave the man a nod before rushing back into the building.

He hurried around to the passenger side of his car and reefed open the door. As he reached over to unlock the seatbelt he glanced up to check on Dean and his gaze was met with glassy eyes.

"Caleb?" Dean whispered.

"In the flesh kiddo," Caleb said with a smile.

Dean frowned. "Hot. Thirsty," he mumbled.

"I know," Caleb said. "Can you get out of the car?"

"Hurts," Dean mumbled as his eyes closed.

"Well I'll take that as a no," Caleb said and gathered Dean back into his arms.

The nurse appeared at behind him. "I've got the gurney and I've paged the doctor."

"Great," Caleb said sardonically as he straightened up with Dean precariously balanced in his arms. "What's the ETA on the good ol doc?"

"Five maybe ten minutes," she said and then gasped as she got her first glimpse of Dean. "Oh my..."

"Yeah. He's quite the looker these days," he said sarcastically as he gently laid Dean on the gurney. "Can we just get him inside?"

"What happened?" she asked as she pushed the gurney towards the building.

"He's been mugged about four times in as many days. Kids had it rough," Caleb said as Dean eyes fluttered open.

"Dad?" he mumbled.

"Sorry kiddo. It's just me," Caleb said softly.

"Hmm," Dean replied as he closed his eyes. "I told 'em not to."

Caleb frowned. "Not to what?"

Dean sighed and turned his head slightly.

They made it into the hospital which looked much more like a clinic with two cubicles with curtains.

"We need to get his shirt and pants off," the nurse said as she handed him a pair of scissors.

Caleb lifted the hem of Dean's t-shirt and began to cut the material.

"N-no," Dean murmured as his hands came up to defend himself.

"Easy there kiddo. Just gotta take this shirt off," Caleb said.

"W-wha?" Dean said as he looked up at Caleb.

"Just relax Dean," Caleb said and as finished cutting off the material as fast as he could.

"Oh no," the nurse said quietly with a hand over her mouth. She rushed out of the room.

"Some help she was," Caleb muttered.

Dean blinked and looked around. "Caleb what am I doin here?"

A man walked into the room before Caleb could answer.

"So what do we have…" he started to say but as he saw Dean's chest he immediately began to examine him.

"Oh hey Doc," the nurse said as she came back into the room.

"Nancy," the doctor greeted her. "I need you to…"

"Already made the call," Nancy said as she stepped up to Caleb. "Sir you will have to wait outside."

"NO!" Dean yelled and looked over at Caleb. "T-take me back."

"We're not going anywhere," Caleb said calmly.

"What's your name kid?" The doctor asked as he shone a pen light into his eyes.

Dean flinched at the unexpected brightness and shoved his hands against the offending light. "NO! Caleb help me," he yelled as the doctor took a step back and his pen light fell to the floor with a clatter.

Caleb yanked the bed down slightly and moved between it and the wall. "Hey easy does it man," he said as he looked down on Dean's bloody face.

"Caleb please take me back," Dean pleaded.

"Sorry but I can't do that kiddo," he said quietly and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I don't like hospitals that much either but you just gotta let them do what they need to do."

"No, please!" Dean begged as his wild gaze fell on the doctor.

"Hey," Caleb said as he put a hand on the sixteen year olds too warm cheek to keep his attention on him instead of the doctor and nurse. He waited until Dean looked up at him and when he did Caleb almost cringed at the confused panic he could see there.

"Calm down," he said strongly then noticed that he was breathing fast and put his other hand on his shoulder. "Slower breaths man or you're gonna hyperventilate."

Dean whimpered and closed his eyes as his head rolled to the side.

"He feels really warm, too warm," Caleb said to the doctor.

"Typical for someone spiking a high fever," the doc said and as he caught Caleb's confused expression he clarified. "It's not uncommon when a patient has a high temperature for the body to become severely dehydrated. Since Dean isn't sweating; he can no longer cool himself to bring down his temperature. We'll have to do that for him."

"Caleb take me back," Dean whimpered as looked up with half open eyes.

Caleb looked back at the teen. "Dean I'm not taking you back to that flimsy excuse for a house."

"But I wasn't supposed to leave. I don't know how to get back," Dean pleaded. "I had to find Sugar. My fault she got loose."

Caleb took a breath. Dean was talking but he wasn't really here. Sugar was a teddy bear of a watchdog that had belonged to Bobby about nine years ago. Sammy and Dean would play with her for hours while the men plotted their next job.

"Hey no problem. I'll take you back before your Dad gets back. He won't know. Sugar's safe," he said hoping his words, or at least his easy tone, would calm the kid.

"But I left Sammy on his own," Dean whispered.

Caleb smiled. In truth he hadn't left a three year old Sammy on his own. Dean had just turned seven and had dragged the toddler all around that junk yard looking for that German shepherd. When they had found the dog not too far from the junk yard Dean couldn't remember the way back. The only reason Caleb had found them was the dog wouldn't stop barking or come in when he called her so he'd gone looking and found all three of them sitting under a tree.

Caleb hoped the sixteen year old didn't remember that part. "Sammy's safe with your Dad. Just relax Dean everything's going to be ok."

"No," Dean murmured.

Caleb watched the doctor out of the corner of his eye. He'd just finished removing the gauze on Dean's forearm. Could've sworn the man paled severely.

"Nancy get me saline solution and an ETA," he asked calmly.

The nurse glanced at her watch. "Ten minutes," she said as she went to a supply cupboard and brought out an IV bag and needle.

"ETA?" Caleb repeated suddenly worried that they'd called family services or something. In some states Dean would be safe as he could've been of age, but he wasn't sure about this one.

"His ride to Mercy General," the doctor replied.

"Kid hates anything that lifts off the ground. I'll take him. How far is it?" Caleb asked.

"Sir to be perfectly blunt it's possible he won't survive a car ride to Mercy. There is a helicopter on its way and I'm sure he won't even realize he's up in the air," the doctor said.

"What do you mean he won't make the ride?" Caleb repeated feeling slightly light headed as he watched the nurse insert an IV needle into the back of Dean's hand. He could take all the blood, broken bones and abrasions that this job had to offer without a problem. Needles were something else all together.

The doctor ignored his question and as much as that pissed Caleb off the doctor was concentrating on helping Dean which mollified the demon hunter enough to not rip the good doc apart piece by piece with his bare hands. He pushed aside his frustration as Dean moaned quietly and mumbled words Caleb couldn't make out then seemed to be calm for a few moments.

Dean mumbled something else as he opened his eyes and blinked up at Caleb. "Do you see her?"

"See who?" Caleb asked.

"Mom," Dean said with a quiet awe in his voice as he shifted his gaze slightly and stared at the curtain.

"Dude there's no one else here but you, me, the doc and Nancy," Caleb said. "Stay with me here buddy."

"She's so beautiful standing right beside you," Dean said as a smile lit up his bloodied face.

Caleb looked down into his glassy eyes. "Dean you're mom's not here."

Dean looked away from Caleb and stared at the curtain just behind Caleb then looked as if he nodded the way his head moved up and down on the pillow.

Caleb looked behind him expecting to see Bobby or someone Dean would recognize but no one was there.

"He could be hallucinating," the nurse said softly with an understanding look on her face before she turned back to the wound she was dressing.

"Ok," Dean said as he lifted up his hand.

Caleb caught it and held it tight in his own hand. "Dean," he said softly.

"Let go. Mom wants me to go," he said dreamily.

"Heat rate is increasing," the doc said to Nancy.

"Breaths are shallow," Nancy said.

"I want him on oxygen," ordered the doctor. "Let's give him 2 litres via face mask before his stats start dropping."

"No Dean," Caleb murmured holding his hand tighter. "Stay with me here buddy."

Dean closed his eyes and swallowed heavily. He stayed quiet for a moment. "Thirsty," he whispered.

Caleb looked at the doctor. "Can he have some water or ice chips?"

The doctor glanced at him as he finished putting new gauze over Dean's chest. "No."

Caleb was about to say something when the curtain was yanked open. He frowned and barely refrained from putting a protective hand over Dean's newly wrapped chest.

There was a man standing where the curtain had been dressed in black boots, tan pants, bomber jacket and an officer's hat from what Caleb thought could've been from World War 2.

"Someone call for a pickup?" he asked happily and great gusto.

"Oh no. No way! He's not going anywhere with him!" Caleb said firmly.

"Ray you're late, again," the doc said sharply.

"Aww, don't be like that Jace," Ray said. "You know I always come through for you."

"No actually you don't," the doc said.

"What??" Caleb asked his eyes bulging slightly hoping that he hadn't heard right.

Nancy shook her head slightly and gave Caleb a wink. "Brothers," she said softly to Caleb.

"HEY!" Caleb shouted.

Dean flinched at the loud voice and whimpered softly.

"What?" Ray asked as he looked around and suddenly realized that he and his brother weren't the only two people in the room. He quickly removed his hat, tucked it under his arm and extended his left hand. "Oh. Ray Sauer. Little bro to the great Jace Sauer - the one and only doctor in these parts. I am pilot and partier extraordinaire."

Caleb blinked at the man in front of him and then looked down at the extended hand. He couldn't help but think that Dean would have liked this character if he was lucid enough to realize what was going on. He didn't shake his hand but kept his firmly on the sixteen year old.

Caleb closed his eyes for a moment. At some point he was going to wake up and be out of the twilight zone. Or he'd had too much to drink, or he was the one with the high fever. There was no way Dean was this sick, that some freak thinking he was flying through World War 2 was here, and he was going to wake with his arms around Alice. He was going to wake up with an arm full of his beautiful blonde girl who knew all about his life style and it hadn't scared her off. Well not yet anyway.

"Looks like your friend here needs a ride," Ray said and turned to Jace. "Mercy General or Memorial?"

"Mercy. They're expecting you. Now Ray. This boy does not have much time," he said shortly.

Caleb's heart skipped a beat and he opened his eyes.

"No sightseeing. Direct and Fast. Oh and make sure you call Mom later today. She's mad as hell that you missed her birthday again," Jace admonished quietly.

Ray had the good grace to blush slightly. "Fine. I'll call," he said quietly.

Caleb listened to the casual discussion and his anger flared. Dean was hurting badly and they were worried about a phone call home? "Hey what about the patient!" Caleb demanded.

"Roger Wilco. Let's go," Ray said smartly then gave Caleb a wink. "Left the chopper on standby."

"Good. Get her going. We'll be out in a moment," Jace said effectively dismissing his younger brother.

Ray saluted them, turned on his heel and quickly left.

"OK. No offence as he's your family and all, but there is no way Dean is going anywhere with him!" Caleb said hotly.

Jace straightened up. "Nancy ice packs and the basket please. We'll try to cool him a bit on his trip in. You'll accompany him, all right?"

"Yes doctor," she said and hurried out of the cubicle.

"Sir your…" Jace started.

"Cousin," Caleb said just short of a yell. Damnit hadn't this man been paying attention at all?

"Your cousin is in grave condition. My brother may be a bit eccentric but he really is the best pilot I know. He's saved many hunters and sick people by flying them to hospital," Jace said quietly.

"But," Caleb tried to protest but Nancy walked back in. He couldn't help but stare at the cold metal bucket that Dean was going to be transported in.

"We're going to move him into the basket for Ray's helicopter. Then we we'll add the ice packs," Jace said.

"What? Why?" Caleb asked. He wanted someone to explain something.

"We need to try and bring his temperature down. It's the best we can do until he can get to the trauma center and meds he needs," Nancy tried to explained as she removed the ice packs from the basket and put them on a near by table. Then she placed a blanket over the metal lining of the transport basket.

Caleb picked up Dean before either one of them tried to. He gently lowered the sixteen year old into the basket.

Dean whimpered at the movement and mumbled something.

"Help us put around the ice packs," Nancy said as she shoved a few into his arms.

Caleb took a breath as he stared at her for a second, then even though he had a bad feeling about this; he gently placed the ice packs around Dean's body.

"No," Dean mumbled from under the oxygen mask. "Cold."

"It's ok Dean. It's temporary," Caleb said to him hoping the teen understood.

Jace wrapped a blanket around Dean and then they were rushing out of the clinic. They took the gurney as far as they could then they carried the basket out to the grass field where the helicopter waited.

The helicopter whined as the blades began to speed up.

Caleb watched as the basket was put inside and secured. Nancy sat near Dean as she made notes in his file. There wasn't much room, but Caleb tried to climb in after them before the bird took off.

Doctor Jace took his arm and yanked him back towards the building and away from the helicopter.

Caleb struggled but pulled back. "What are you doing? Get off me!" He demanded as he yanked himself out of the doctor's surprising firm grip.

"Look son," Jace started.

"I am not your fucking son!" Caleb yelled over the motor as the helicopter took off. "That my cousin in there. I should be with him and now he's alone! You got three seconds to tell me something!"

Jace put his hands into his white doctor's coat and shrugged. "Your cousin will die in a matter of hours if he doesn't get the help he needs now," he said simply but loud enough to be heard over the helicopter's motor.

"W-what?" Caleb asked and looked over as the helicopter began to slowly ascend.

"That boy is in septic shock. Dean is suffering from acute lympangitis which has now spread to his blood stream causing septicemia. His blood pressure is bottoming out and his heart rate is erratic. He needs help and medication that we simply cannot provide," Jace said.

"Sep… lymp…," Caleb tried to say then his frustration flared. He grabbed the doctor's shirt in his fists and yanked him slightly closer. "What the hell did you just say in laymen's terms?"

The doctor tensed for a moment and put his hands over Caleb's wrists. "In acute lymphangitis, bacteria enters the body through a cut. Once the bacteria enter the lymphatic system, they multiply rapidly and follow the lymphatic vessel like a highway. The infected lymphatic vessel becomes inflamed, causing red streaks that are visible below the skin surface. The growth of the bacteria occurs so rapidly that the immune system does not respond fast enough to stop the infection. In Dean's case the bacteria then invaded his bloodstream causing septicemia. Lay people, for that reason, often call the red streaks seen in the skin "blood poisoning." Septicemia is a very serious illness and can be fatal," the doctor said and at Caleb's bewildered expression he sighed slightly.

"Look the body can only handle so much before it can't take any more and simply shuts down. We do not have the antibiotics on hand to handle this but Mercy General does," he said and his expression softened. "Please understand that it was necessary to fly him to that hospital as it is the closest trauma center and the most capable to help your cousin."

Caleb looked at the doctor with a shocked and horrified expression. It took a few moments for the horrible news to sink in. He quickly let go of the doctor and smoothed down his shirt.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered.

"It's all right. It's been a rough night for you. Sometimes I think injuries such as these are much harder on the families than on the actual patient. Odds are that your cousin won't remember much of this due to his fever," Jace said gently.

Caleb looked at the dark spec in the sky that was the helicopter knowing that he should be on the bird with Dean. The sixteen year old shouldn't be alone. Someone should have called him sooner, including the stubborn kid flying away from him.

He dipped his head and clenched his fists. "Damnit. How did this get out of hand so fast?"

"Sepsis strikes very fast. Any one of his injuries could have done this to him," the doctor said.

Caleb frowned at him.

"Many of those wounds that boy has are infected. Most people fight off the infection before it hits the blood stream, however with what that teen has been through I would be surprised if he lasted more than ten to twelve hours before his immune system was overwhelmed and couldn't keep up."

Caleb ran a hand over his face and took a steadying breath.

"Is there anyone I can call for you?" the doctor asked kindly knowing that the young man standing in front of him was on information overload.

"Um no. I need to call his… my uncle," he said softly.

Jace nodded and gave him a small smile. "I'll leave you to it then."

Caleb pulled out his cell phone and just as he was about to punch in the first number it rang. "Caleb."

"Son?" Pastor Jim said.

"Hey Dad," he said with a quiet sigh.

"I need a favour," Jim asked.

"Sure," Caleb said as he realized he could no longer see the helicopter so he moved towards his car.

"John and Sammy ran into some trouble. I need you to pick up Dean and meet me at Mercy General," Jim said.

Caleb paused next to his car with the keys in his hand and ran a hand through his hair. At least Dean would have someone there. "Um Dean's already on his way."

There was a long pause. "What? Caleb where are you?" Jim asked.

Caleb opened his car door and wearily sat down. He felt like he had just aged ten years. "Doesn't matter," he said softly. His hand shook as he reached out for the steering wheel. Seeing the teen in such bad condition had shaken the young man to his core. What he would give right now to disappear in a bottle of JD so he could forget the last several hours.

"Caleb?" Pastor Jim asked his worry and concern coming through the cell line.

Caleb wished his adoptive father was there with him, a child-like wish that he abruptly shoved out of his mind.

"Are you all right son?" Jim asked gently.

"Yeah. I'm fine. But Dean's critical. Some limp septic thing," Caleb said.

"You're not making any sense. What happened?" Jim asked.

Caleb ran a hand over his face, a habit he'd picked up from John over the years. "Dean has a bad infection and his body isn't fighting it. He's being flown to Mercy General."

"Oh good Lord," Jim said very softly.

Caleb smiled slightly at the often used words his father used when someone else would swear a blue streak. "Dad could you… I mean I won't…"

"I'll be here for him. Just get here safely," Jim said.

"I will," Caleb said and ended the call. He started his car and sighed as he grabbed his map. Tracing a finger over the worn out map pages he figured out the route to Mercy General. Putting the map aside he drove out of the lot and drove away from the small town hoping to never return.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **So in my happy little fever fuelled universe which has the sole purpose of whumping Dean, Sam, John, and whoever else I can get my hands on, theybelong to me. My goal is to hurt, break and then put back together with a shiny blood red bow when I'm done. And when my fever goes down I will tell you that they actually belong to the WB, CW, Eric K, and everyone else filming and creating for the show. Without them I would not have such a wonderful place to play and escape in.

**Author's Notes: **Chapter 6 was the mid to end of Day 3 and very early Day 4. I'm trying to get everyone together, same day, same time, same page, etc. This should be the catch up chapter with John, Sammy, Jim and Caleb making the end of this chapter around 10 or 11 in the morning Day 4. Chapter 8 should the end of Day 4. Clear as mud, right? Time line _should not_ change after this.

I don't know much about cars, let alone the sleek, black and sexy Impala that the Winchesters drive. Sorry if my references on the car below are incorrect.

And I into some off topic characters – medical staff. Hopefully you'll like them. Chapter 8 is almost done so I hope to have that up soon.

Hurt!Dean, Hurt!John, Concussed!Sammy, WorriedProtective!PastorJim ahead. I love these ! words. LOL

**Renovations**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Sam concentrated on chipping away the pieces of rock away from the large stone fireplace. Several small pieces came away and Sam stopped long enough to toss the pieces over his shoulder being careful to throw the stone far enough as to not disturb the protective salt line. The thirteen year old wiped a dirty arm across his forehead smearing dirt into streaks as it mixed in his sweat and went back to work. 

"Ok there Sammy?" John asked as he saw the boy wince slightly.

"Yeah I'm fine," Sam said lying through his teeth. Dean worked hurt all the time and there was no way he'd let a stupid headache slow him down.

John nodded seeing the lie for what it was. They'd have a talk after this was over on the way to the hospital to see Dean. He needed to explain to his youngest that he really didn't need another Dean, God help him if he had two, he just needed Sam to be careful, be aware of what was happening around him on a hunt so he could be safe. Well as safe as one could be while hunting ghosts, demons, zombies, black dogs and whatever else they found to go after.

Sam knocked another piece of rock away wincing as it crashed to the floor next to him. It hadn't been that loud and it wasn't his head that was complaining. Rather it was the stench that wafted out of the hole in the wall that made his stomach wrench in spasm and he swallowed heavily against it so he didn't throw up.

John reached down and pulled up pieces of floor that were just beginning to rot. The EMF that sat beside him suddenly redlined and squealed as if delighted to announce a spectral visitor.

The rest of the stonework shuddered as it rained grains of dirt and dust over the two men kneeling on the floor. A howl ripped through the air and framed pictures rattled against the walls.

John glanced over and gave his youngest a wink. "And you doubted your old man," he said with a smile.

Sam smiled back at him and looked down at the circle of salt they were working in. So far several small showers of dirt had covered them. The walls had shaken so often that half the pictures had fallen to the floor making the glass shatter in their frames and small projectiles had been sent in their direction but nothing had gotten through the protective ring of salt. "Not once Dad."

John snorted his response as he made more pieces of rock fall to the floor. He grimaced as he saw the half decayed body of a woman. Pieces of flesh and clothing still clung to her body, flies buzzed around her body, and maggots crawled all over her.

Sam picked up a handful and threw them all to the side. One piece fell from the pile and ran through the ring of salt. His eyes grew wide with fear. "DAD!"

Turning automatically at the fear in his son's voice he found himself flying through the air instead of seeing his boy. Pain exploded in his back and his chest as he slammed into the wall. He crumpled to the floor as he was pummelled by pieces of rock and mortar.

Sam leapt to his feet and took a step towards his father but faltered. He knew that the only he could help his father was to complete the job. It would stop the spirit from attacking his father. He scooped up the salt and lighter fluid. He doused the body with both and winced as a scream ripped through the air.

Putting one hand on his head against the throbbing Sam grabbed the lighter, flicked it on and dropped it into the hole. He was wrenched to the side slamming his shoulder into a bookcase, then lifted up into the air and thrown down onto the pile of rubble that was left of the rock fireplace.

His entire body felt like it had exploded in pain and he heard himself whimper.

Small pieces of debris flew around the room tearing cuts into exposed flesh and ripped small rents into their clothes.

Sam curled into a ball as best he could and waited for the fire to cleanse the house of the spirit.

Another scream echoed through the room and then it was suddenly still. Rocks and small debris fell and settled to the ground.

Sam tentatively lifted his head up and saw the fire licking the opening of the hole in the fireplace and beginning to burn the floorboards. Seeing the spirit was gone he let himself lay there for a moment trying to get a handle on his pain.

"Dad?" Sam called softly from where he lay on the floor. He didn't want to get up, but the wall with the fireplace was now engulfed in flame. Idly he wondered if he really should have torched the body where it was but now was not the time. There was no feeling from his right shoulder down his arm but everything else hurt. He struggled to get up and as he managed to do so his fuzzy brain registered that he had to hurry.

Limping over to where his father was half buried in rock Sam started pulling away the rock as fast as he could. He swallowed heavily at his father's injuries. There was bruising and where he couldn't see bruising there was blood. He knew there was a very big danger of his father having broken ribs, arms, or internal bleeding but there was no way to treat it here. The only thing he could do was get his unconscious father to the hospital.

The air was heavy with smoke as Sam grabbed his father by his jacket and pulled him towards the front door.

It took far too much time to drag his father to the car, but once there, it seemed to be a monumental task to get his Dad into the car. He leaned his forehead against the glass window of the Impala taking a moment to get his breath. Then it was like he was watching from afar as he saw himself straighten, open the car door with his numb hand and manhandle his father into the car.

Then he was in the driver's seat, revving the engine twice before pulling away from the curb of the house. In the back of his mind he was thankful that he didn't have to back the boat of a car out of a driveway. Neither Dean nor Dad were happy with his backing up skills yet.

Sam blinked consistently as he drove trying to keep his vision clear and to keep his focus on driving the car. He knew the hospital wasn't that far away as he'd pointed the sign out to his father on the way to the house earlier that night. As he drove through the empty streets he knew he was going to need help.

He leaned towards his Dad to take the cell phone out of his jacket. The Impala swerved as it flew through an intersection and the boy thought he heard a horn in the distance. It didn't even register to the thirteen year old that he'd just blown through a red light and the horn was from the car that he'd narrowly missed hitting.

Sam took his foot off the gas as he punched speed dial 1 on the cell phone then he put his attention back onto the road. As he cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear his vision swam slightly. The phone rang twice before the call was answered.

"Hello?" A warm voice answered.

Sam swallowed back the sudden relief of tears and he breathed heavily as he fought the sensation to cry.

"Hello?" The voice repeated concern clear in the tone.

"P-pastor Jim?" Sam whispered it was all he could get through the lump in his throat.

"Sammy? Are you ok?" Jim asked as he put down the novel he had been reading and stood up.

Sam took a shaky breath and felt a hot tear track down his cheek. His chin trembled slightly as his mouth tried to form words but he couldn't seem to speak.

"It's all right Sammy. Just tell me where you are and I'll get to you," Jim said forcing his voice to remain calm as he headed to his study.

"I-… I'm," Sam stopped and took another shaky breath as more tears fell. "Driving."

"It's all right Sam. Are you ok?" Jim asked as he grabbed his already packed bag that was in the corner of his study and hurried out of the room.

Sam took a gulping breath and spotted the sign with the H showing him the hospital wasn't far now. His breath was shaky and he almost dropped the phone.

"Sammy talk to me son," Jim said calmly but forcefully to keep the teens attention.

Sam desperately wanted Dean. Dean would know what to do. His brother always knew what to do, what to say, how to get around things. He needed his brother here to tell him everything was going to be ok.

"Sammy are you still there?" Jim said as he opened his car door, threw his bag into the back seat and started the engine.

Sam took another shaky breath as more tears fell down his cheeks.

"Sammy! Listen to me. You'll be all right. I'll be there before you know it. I promise. But you have to tell me where you are," Jim pressed as he pulled out of his driveway and sped down the street. He knew where they were hunting. "Are you still at the house?"

"Dads hurt... I don't…. Dean always," Sam whispered and took another shaky breath. "Pastor Jim please."

"Sam you said you were driving. Where are you driving to?" Jim asked forcefully wanting to give the boy the answers that he was begging for. But he couldn't give him answers if he didn't know where the boy was.

"H-hospital," Sam said as he slowed the car around a curve in the road making the wheels squeal slightly.

"Sam listen to me. You need to slow down son. You won't help either one of you if you crash the car. Understand me boy?" Jim said.

"Yes sir," Sam said and eased off the gas pedal.

"Are you near the hospital now?" Jim asked.

Sam nodded. "I think I have to turn here," he said softly calming slightly now that someone was talking to him.

"Ok. Take the turn son," Jim waited and heard more squealing of tires. "Sam slow down!"

Sam pulled into the emergency entrance and slammed on the brakes. The car settled crookedly in front of the emergency entrance doors. The thirteen year olds body shook violently as he closed his eyes and took a gasping breath.

"Sam? What happened?" Jim asked at the sound of louder squealing tires. "Talk to me!"

Sam looked over as the passenger door opened. He couldn't seem to focus on the woman. "Pastor Jim? They're looking at Dad."

"I have a male, forties, shallow breaths, massive lacerations, head trauma," a woman's voice said.

Sam looked to his left as his door was opened. A man crouched down and peered up at him.

"Good lord. He's just a kid!" The doctor exclaimed as he reached in to examine Sam's facial injuries.

"Don't … don't touch me!" Sam yelled suddenly fearful that he'd done the wrong thing. The car began to slowly inch forward as Sam eased his foot off the brake.

Jim could hear the commotion over the phone. "Sammy listen to me son! You've done very well. You've gotten you and your father to the help you need. Let them do their job. I will be there before you know it. Do not fight them."

"Whoa!" The doctor said as he reached down and shoved down the emergency brake making the car rock slightly.

"No please," Sam pleaded into the phone as he weakly tried to push the doctor away from him.

"Sammy listen to me. Let them help you. Ok?" Jim asked as he flew down the entrance to a highway.

"I'm a doctor," the man said pushing past Sam's attempt to fight him off.

Sam closed his eyes. "Want Dean," he softly admitted to the cleric even though he kept pushing back at the doctor.

"I'll get him there. I promise you that," Jim said and took a deep breath. "Sam you will not fight the doctors. You will listen to them and do what they want them to do. Now Samuel. Those are your orders. Understood?"

"Come on kid don't fight us," the doctor ground out as he tried to reach around Sam to take off his seat belt.

Sam nodded feeling exhausted and opened his eyes as he stopped pushing back against the doctor. "Yes sir. I understand."

"Good. Now gave the phone to someone there," Jim ordered.

Sam looked at the doctor. He had to blink a couple of times to focus on the man. He pushed the phone at him. "Pastor Jim."

The man shook his head. "No. Doctor Ramsey. Let me help you."

Sam shoved the phone at him again. "Talk. Important."

Dr. Ramsey hesitated for a moment then took the phone. "Hello?"

"My name is Pastor Jim. I am a close friend of John and Samuel Winchester. I am on my way and I don't know what happened but can you treat them? I will bring their medical insurance information with me."

"Fine. Can you get the kid to stop fighting us?" Ramsey asked.

"I just told him not to fight you. Tell him what you need him to do and tell him what you're doing. He's a good kid but he's scared," Jim said.

Ramsey hesitated for a moment and looked at the battered youth sitting in the car. "Are they allergic to anything?"

"Sam's allergic to penicillin. I don't know of any allergies for John," Jim said.

"We'll take good care of them," Dr. Ramsey said and pushed the end button on the cell phone.

"Ok kid. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to get you onto that gurney, take you inside and examine you."

Sam nodded and took off his seat belt. He struggled to get out of the car and felt himself being helped onto the gurney. He watched the overhead lights as he was rushed into the building. Then everything seemed to have the colour washed out of them, his ears had a ringing in them that seemed to get louder by the second until he passed out.

0000000000000

Jim glanced down at his watch and was surprised to see that he'd been there for almost three hours next to Sam's bed. He'd met with Dr. Ramsey and gotten the update on Sam's condition and John's condition.

John was being stabilized in emergency. He'd had a chest tube inserted and they were in the process of draining the fluid from his lungs that had been nicked by his broken ribs. Jim had stayed with him as long as Sam had been taken away for x-rays but once John knew his son was settled in a room he'd insisted that Jim go and stay with his boy. And the cleric had abided by his wishes.

That was a little over three hours ago and Sam had woken twice since the pastor had sat down. His eyes had opened, but they were glassy and unfocussed. He'd asked for Dean and his father and after Jim had told them they were safe the boy had closed his eyes and gone back to sleep.

As Jim watched over the youth Sam's face scrunched up, his body twitched and he gave a small moan. The preacher leaned forward putting his hand over Sam's.

"It's ok Sammy," he said running his other hand slowly through his hair already knowing where the bumps were and was careful not to touch them. "You're safe. Everything is ok now. Just rest."

He repeated the soft words until Sam's face relaxed and his breathing calmed. With a soft sigh Jim leaned back in the hard plastic chair next to Sam's bed.

They had x-rayed Sam's chest and wrist. The film didn't show any broken ribs but his wrist was broken. The break did not require surgery but had been snugly secured in plaster cast. His shoulder had been forced back into place and his arm was now in an immobilizer or sling in layman's terms. His tailbone was bruised, and the boy had too many bumps and bruises to count. The nurses had re-stitched some of the pre-existing gashes; the ones that hadn't given way under the attack of the poltergeist gave testament to Dean's talent with needle and thread. Lastly the doctors had warned that Sam could be concussed, but they wouldn't know until he woke up.

Jim sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his weary eyes. This was not the life for a boy so young. Neither of the boys should be involved with the hunt, but he had been the conduit which had brought them in. He'd promised himself at the time that he would do all he could to protect the innocent boys, but John had been too much of a loose cannon and he'd learned quickly not to push too hard for fear of losing the battered family all together.

He'd already had a strained conversation with Dr. Ramsey about Sam's pre-existing wounds. Jim had no idea how extensive the wounds had been. Had he known he would have made arrangements to have the two boys stay with him until John was finished with his latest hunt. Thankfully some vague references to the children rough housing, playing sports in school, camping in the woods and how boys will be boys was enough to get the doctor off his case. For the time being anyway.

He had to call Bobby. Get him to go and get Dean as the boy would be spitting nails not being told about his family's condition. He'd passed a payphone in the hallway when he'd come looking for the Sam's room. With a heavy heart he got up and with a slight pause at the nurses' station to let them know where he'd gone just in case Jim headed down the hall.

He put quarters into the phone and dialled the junk yard. After ten rings the pastor hung up and tried Bobby's cell phone and frowned when he didn't answer that number either. He had no way to get into contact with Dean directly. John had gotten Dean a new cell phone a few weeks back but they hadn't given out the number yet. He picked up the phone again, retrieved the quarters from the return slot and plunked them back in before dialling another number.

It rang once before it was picked up and he heard the familiar voice on the other end.

"Caleb."

"Son?" Pastor Jim said and frowned. His son's voice was exhausted and troubled.

"Hey Dad," he said with a quiet sigh.

He talked to his son briefly and paled when he heard about Dean.

"I'll be here for him. Just get here safely," Jim said and heard his son promise that he would and he hung up the phone.

He took a breath and headed back to the nurses' station seeing Dr. Ramsey at the end of the counter making notes in someone's medical file. He smiled at the woman behind the counter.

"I just found out that my other nephew is on the way in. Is there any way you could get me any information on his condition?" Jim asked softly.

Before the nurse could say anything Dr Ramsey was walking towards the cleric looking puzzled. "Dean? Sam's older brother?"

"Yes that's right," Jim said having told the doctor about Sam's older brother in their last strained discussion.

"Well they're pretty busy down there tonight. Let me see if I can go find anything out," Ramsey said and his eyebrows knitted together as he walked down the hall finding it very odd that all of the small family had been hurt.

Ramsey walked out of the elevator, got an update from the nurse who had taken the initial call, and bumped into Dr. Jennings one of the senior doctors on shift that night as he headed for the doctor's lounge.

"Hey Colin," Ramsey said.

"Stuart," Colin greeted with a smile. "What brings you down here? Didn't you get your fill with those two who screeched in here earlier this morning?"

Ramsey followed Jennings into the lounge and helped himself to a cup of coffee. "Sadly no. Apparently John's oldest son is coming in. Thought I'd check in and give them an update upstairs."

They added milk and sweetener to their coffees and sat down on the couch.

"So what about the oldest has caught your attention?" Jennings asked.

"Apparently he's septic from several pre-existing wounds. They're trying to say he's been mugged, but I'm not so sure," Ramsey stated.

"How old are the boys?" Jennings asked.

"Thirteen and sixteen apparently. Although the thirteen year old doesn't look that old. I would've said ten or eleven," Ramsey mused. "Still something is definitely off here, but I need to be sure before I make the call."

Jennings took another mouthful of coffee. "You'd better be sure. You've already called wolf on two families which was why you were removed from the kids ward, remember?"

Ramsey glared at him. That was four years ago. After that they'd sent him to geriatrics and then six months later he'd requested a return to the emergency ward. He'd only been allowed back into the pediatrics ward two weeks ago. "I'll get the chief involved if I figure abuse is involved. Besides you agreed with me both times," the doctor said defending himself.

"You figure they'll run?" Jennings asked looking vaguely amused as he brought his attention back on track.

"Nah. The youngest will be here for a couple of days. The father's got a chest tube from broken ribs. And if his son is that sick it'll be at least a week before we're giving them an ETA on discharge," Ramsey said. "Still it just feels ... off."

"The reason you were removed from pediatrics was that you had a very hard time seeing children hurt. An admirable quality if I ever saw one, but still not every child that comes in here hurt has been abused. You need to stay focused and objective. I've only just allowed you to return because you swore to me you could handle it. Don't make me regret my choice Stuart."

"You won't regret it," Ramsey said with a heavy sigh. "I know what you had to do to get me put back into pediatrics. And I appreciate you fighting for me. I can handle it."

"Good. Try not to be so hasty with your decisions this time," Jennings said softly.

Ramsey tried not to bristle at the quiet warning. "Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively.

"Hey if you're not comfortable with the change," Jennings started to say.

"Nah it's all right. Just a change of pace is all. It's a lot quieter on the ward at night," Ramsey said. "Actually I kinda miss the action of emergency."

"You're a sick bastard you know that?" Jennings said with a chuckle.

"Takes one to know one," Ramsey said then stuck out his tongue.

"Yeah definitely too much time with the little ones already," Jennings laughed as he smacked Ramsey on the back.

"Hey I'll have you know those kids love me," Ramsey said.

"Oh yeah I'll bet. Mr. Bedside manner you are," Jennings said as he laughed harder.

"Excuse me. Doctor Jennings?" A nurse asked as she rushed into the room.

"What is it Sarah?" Jennings asked.

"We got two inbound. Serious case of sepsis being flown in. ETA five minutes. Also inbound another car accident. Two DOA on site, three more on the way in all critical. ETA approximately ten minutes. They're just loading up. Also police just showed up with two prisoners. Looks like a fight. Quick clean, stitch and discharge," she said.

"Ok. Why don't you help me with the prisoners and then we'll take the critical. Dr. Ramsey here is going to take our sepsis patient," Jennings said.

"Too quiet up there for you doc?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"Ha-ha," Ramsey said and watched Jennings leave the room then turned to his girlfriend as he fingered an engagement ring in his pocket that he'd picked up on his break. "Hey we still on for tomorrow?"

She lifted an eyebrow at him and stepped up to him. "Yeah as soon as shift is over your ass belongs to me," she said with a sly grin, grabbed him by the lapels of his doctor's jacket, pulled him down for a quick kiss and rushed out of the room.

"I love it when she gets like that," he mumbled, cleared his throat and hurried out of the room leaving two coffee cups forgotten on the table.

Ramsey was waiting next to the elevator when the doors opened and Dean was moved into the organized chaos of emergency. He did a double take of the young man still in a travel basket from the helicopter but what caught his attention was the blanket had been pulled aside slightly and he saw ice packs. Ice packs. They hadn't used that as a form of cooling down a patient since before he was born.

"Who flew in with him?" Ramsey demanded as he followed the basket in to an exam room.

An intern and nurse rushed in the room just after him.

"I did," Nancy said.

"Give me an update," Ramsey said as the blanket was pulled aside and the ice packs were quickly removed.

As he listened to Nancy give her report he checked the boy's injuries. Sepsis all right. Who got that from a simple wound on an arm? Ramsey thought to himself. Then the rest of the blanket was pulled away and Dean was down to his boxers. The boy was covered in bruises and cuts. The majority of the wounds big and small showed the distinctive red streaks heading towards his heart.

"Ok I need arterial blood gasses, blood pressure, culture, blood count, CBC, and you," Ramsey said looking up.

"Nancy," she answered.

"Nancy I need to know how long ago he was started on the saline and if anything else has been given to him," Ramsey said.

"Twenty minutes to fly here. Nothing else was given to him doctor," she said.

"What? No gentamicin? No ampicillin?" He asked incredulously.

"Doctor our little clinic would almost fit in this exam room. We do not have the resources that you have here. We had to ice him down to try and lower his temperature so he didn't have a seizure on the way in," Nancy said. "We did not have those antibiotics on hand."

"But its standard medication," he said dumbfounded.

"Yes it is. Two weeks ago we used it up on a hunter who had shot himself and his friend while they were drunk. The replacement is on order and was supposed to be in last week," Nancy argued while she continued to work on Dean.

"All right fine," he said pushing away that line of thought and got back to the boy on the table. "Replace the current saline solution with 5mg gentamicin in 100ml of cool sterile saline with 5 dextrose. Then add 250mg ampicillin to the IV and someone get me a cooling blanket. Let's go people."

"Blood pressure is 90 over 49," one of the interns said.

"Get a cardiac monitor and a pulse oximeter on him stat," Ramsey said then took a listen to his heart and chest.

"On it," one of the nurses said as she hurried to bring over a machine.

"And a foley catheter," Ramsey ordered.

The harried work continued in the room for ten minutes before Ramsey was almost satisfied that all that could be done for the boy had been done for now. He pulled a blanket up to cover Dean from waist down. "Call up to the ICU. See if there is a bed available for him."

"Yes doctor," one of the emergency nurses said and rushed over to a phone on the wall.

Ramsey watched the teen for a moment then put his stethoscope into his ears and took another listen to the boy's chest. Dean was struggling too hard to breathe and his heart clenched in sympathy. God he hated when kids got sick. Moving the stethoscope up his chest he listened to the heart rate and swore. Too fast, the heart beat was way too fast. He looked over at the heart monitor which showed 124 beats, when it should have been between 80 to 90 beats per minute. Dean was in tachycardia.

He looked up to the nurse that was on the phone and met her eyes.

"Give them an ETA of ten minutes. I need 20mg of morphine and 20mg of diazepam. Nancy get over here and hold his head steady," Ramsey demanded suddenly.

The nurse nodded and passed on the information.

The intern added the requested medication to Dean's IV line.

Nancy put down the file she was making notes in and moved to hold Dean's head up and still.

"Good," Ramsey mumbled as he concentrated on intubating Dean, preparing the sixteen year old for a respirator.

Twenty minutes later in ICU Ramsey did a final check of Dean's respirator and made a note in his file to ensure his urine output was checked within the hour. He took a glance at the heart monitor and was pleased to see the teen's heart beat was a steady 87. A final check of his oxygen levels which had been at 83 in emergency was now at 92. Just out of the woods, but encouraging all the same.

"All right Dean Winchester I want you to concentrate on relaxing and getting better. No, no, I insist. No more fights, muggings or bad things from now on. Do I make myself clear?" Ramsey looked at his patient and listened to the machine do the breathing for the sixteen year old. "Good. I'll be back to check on your condition and some family members will be popping by as well so I expect you to be on your best behaviour."

Ramsey smiled to himself sadly and tore himself away from the room. He had other patients to check but he was sure that he would be back probably within the hour. Making one final note in the file to be paged at any change he left the folder with the nurse and headed down to the kids ward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Nope. Don't own anything recognizable below, no matter how many shooting stars or wishing wells I've put to use lately. They still belong to Eric Kripke, the CW, WB, …….

**Author's Notes:** Huge thanks out to my betas lynxlan (for her massive amounts of patience) and heathernmg03 (for her great support in all things medicine). Without them this would have not been as good and not made much sense.

There is a reference that Caleb makes almost at the end. The creature was found here: The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls. I just wanted to give the reference and to say that I just didn't pull it out of thin air. : )

Oh and I know this was supposed to be a mostly Dean POV, but I'm afraid he's a little out of it at the moment. So this chapter is primarily concussed!Sammy; Worried!Jim! and Worried!Caleb. I think there might be a little language in this part, if not then that part is in the next chapter which will more than likely be up early next week.

* * *

**Renovations **

**Chapter 8**

**by infinite shadow**

"Is there a Mrs. Winchester that we should be calling?" Dr. Ramsey asked just outside Sam's room.

Jim shook his head slightly. "No. John's wife died when Sam was just six months old."

Ramsey nodded. "His daughter then? When he first woke up in emergency he was asking for someone named Mary."

Jim gave the doctor a small smile. "Mary was his wife."

Ramsey sighed. "Ok. I'll let you go back to Sam. I have other patients to check on but I'll be back with an update on Dean."

"Thank you," Jim said and moved back into Sammy's room.

The boy was looking at the mural of Disney's Seven Dwarfs with his head tilted to the side slightly.

"Sammy?" Jim said as he approached the bed glad to see the boy was awake.

The boy blinked a couple of times before moving his glassy gaze to the cleric. "Huh?"

Jim smiled slightly. That was more of a Dean response. Sammy had always been a little more articulate with him, but he'd take what he could get at the moment.

"How are you feeling my boy?" Jim asked as he sat down in the chair he'd been occupying.

"Feeeling?" Sammy repeated.

"Yeah. How's your wrist and shoulder," Jim clarified. "How's your head?"

Sam frowned and brought his uninjured hand to his head and touched a bandage there. He looked over at Jim. "Hurtsss."

"Yeah I bet it does buddy. Why don't you lean back and just relax," Jim suggested.

"Not tired," Sam said and sat up straighter. He looked around the room and blinked at the bright lights in the ceiling. "Wherz Dean and Dad?"

"They're here and being looked after," Jim said.

"No," Sam said and frowned as he looked back at the Pastor. That wasn't right. Dean was always hovering when he got hurt and Dad would be nearby too. "No."

Jim's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Oh?" He said with a twinkle in his eye.

Sam raised his hand back up to his forehead and whimpered slightly. Pictures flashed through his mind too quick to know what they were. It was like trying to focus on a picture through a steamed up bathroom mirror. "Too messy."

"It will come back," Jim affirmed knowing how the boy usually responded to having a concussion. Usually Dean would stay right near his brother tolerating tears and confusion without blinking an eye. "Your mind will sort everything out and you'll remember just fine."

"Really?" Sam asked

"Really. Get some sleep now. You'll feel better when you wake up," Jim said.

Sam's stomach suddenly pitched and rolled. He clenched his eyes closed and wondered if Dean was rocking the bed. He groaned softly. "Sick," he whispered.

Jim grabbed the small waste basket next to Sam's bed and barely managed to get it in front of Sam as he threw up. He put his hand comfortingly on the thirteen year olds back. "Ok. Better out than in," Jim said.

Sam whimpered and leaned back against his pillows and ran his forearm across his mouth.

"Close your eyes and get some sleep, ok Sammy? Everything will be better when you wake up," Pastor Jim said putting the garbage can down away from the bed and sat back down in his seat.

"Will Dean be here?" Sam asked.

Jim smiled slightly. "Probably not, but he won't be far away."

"Dean's sick too?" Sam asked as he closed his eyes and slid down slightly in his bed.

"Yes he is. But he's being looked after by good doctors Sammy. Just like you are," Jim said as he rose up slightly and pulled the blankets up effectively tucking in the thirteen year old.

"Why isn't he there?" Sam asked as his breathing began to deepen.

Jim smiled knowing that the boy meant the empty bed next to his. But before he could come up with an answer Sam's breathing evened out as he fell asleep.

Jim sat back in his chair and watched as Sam's breathing evened out and deepened in sleep. "Sleep well my boy."

0000000000000

Caleb pulled into the parking lot of Mercy General. He killed the engine, leaned back and rested his head against the headrest. All he wanted was sleep, but the need to know how Dean was doing far outweighed what he wanted and he found himself getting out of the car.

He entered the hospital and got into the elevator. Instead of going up to paediatrics he found himself stopping one level below at the cafeteria. He purchased some sandwiches, two coffees, Sam's favourite pop, and headed up one more level.

Giving the day nurse his best smile he almost stopped at the counter but saw his father coming out of a room. He gave the nurse a wink and continued around until he stopped just short of his father. His father looked haggard and exhausted.

As relieved as he was to see his father something in the older man's body language had him tense and on alert. Jim leaned back against the wall closed his eyes and rubbed at them. Fear spiked through him and he worried that he'd been too late for Dean. He hadn't gotten to the sixteen year old fast enough.

Jim finished his prayer and straitened up. He took a deep breath, smelled coffee and opened his eyes. To his surprise he saw his son standing close by watching him. His son looked tense but he broke out into a huge smile. "Caleb," he said striding forward and put a hand on his shoulder in greeting.

"What's happening Dad?" he asked softly. "What happened to Sammy and John?"

"Well we might as well go in. Sammy's got the room to himself for the moment. I can fill you in," Jim said. "Is one of those for me?"

"Oh yeah. Here," Caleb said handing his father a cup. They were both the same. Black and murky as the night they hunted in.

Caleb took a double take when he saw the youngest Winchester laying there, his eyes open, glassy and staring at the two adults.

"Hey Sammy. Feeling better now?" Jim asked and sat down in the chair he'd been occupying all morning.

Sam stared at him with an intensity that the other two men had seen him use when he'd tried to solve any kind of puzzle Jim or John had given him.

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked slowly.

Jim smiled at him and patted his hand gently. "Dean's being looked after by another doctor. We'll go see him when you're feeling better."

"Sammy?" Caleb asked stunned to see the boy completely out of it.

Scared glassy eyes moved to Caleb. "Where's Dean?" He repeated softly.

Jim glanced at Caleb. "Sammy's a little high at the moment."

"What?" Caleb demanded.

"He'll be fine. He's just a lot more unfocused than we've ever seen him. But with a one track mind," Jim said.

"Who are you?" Sam asked looking glassy eyed at Caleb.

Jim chuckled at the funny look Caleb gave Sam.

"Who am I? Buddy I am the one and only Caleb. Pseudo big brother to you and Dean. Instigator and king of last year's prank war at the lake during training manoeuvres."

Sam looked back at Jim. "What?"

"Sammy don't you remember? I was crowned king when I made Dean scream like a little girl," Caleb said with a big grin on his face. "After he found that huge fake rat in his bed."

"Caleb," Jim muttered.

"Why would we do that?" Sammy asked frowning and tilting his head at Caleb. "Dean hates rats."

Caleb smiled. "Well that was kinda the point."

"Not helping here," Jim said disapprovingly.

"We kinda got into a prank war and you turned into a very sly double agent," Caleb said as he sat next to his father and continued speaking with a gentle calm voice ignoring his father completely. "Close your eyes. Think about your bedroom."

Sam closed his eyes but frowned. "We live in motel rooms. We share."

"Normally yes," Caleb conceded. "When you stay with Pastor Jim you and Dean stay in one room with bunk beds in one corner, writing desk and TV in another."

Sam slowly began to nod his head. "Blue walls with funny pictures written on them."

Caleb smiled. He'd painted that room blue because it was both boys favourite colour. Then he painted by freehand protection sigils and symbols all around that room. In fact it kinda looked like funky wallpaper. "That's right Sam."

The boy's eyebrows drew together. "Dean hid all my underwear and I had to go commando."

"Hence the fake rat in his bed," Caleb chuckled.

Sam opened his eyes and looked around the room. Where was Dean? He was always there when he needed him especially when he was sick. Dean would make everything better. That was the only thing he was sure of. Dean would know how to take away the pain and the fogginess. It scared him that his big brother wasn't there to fix everything. He felt his vision swim with tears and he fought them back. "Where's…I want …need Dean."

Caleb's smile fell from his face at the request. He sounded so young, so lost and afraid. He wished the boy could recognize them as the family they were.

Jim took the young one's hand in his. "You'll see him soon Sammy. Get some rest now. You're safe here. Close your eyes and just relax."

Sam blinked at him for a moment before his eyes drooped and closed with a final mutter of want Dean.

The men sat in silence until Sam's breathing evened out.

"He is so gonna be embarrassed if he remembers this," Caleb said.

Jim closed his eyes and sighed.

"Just sayin. It's not like I'm going to bring it up Dad. I hate seeing the boys like this. They're too young. Especially Sammy," Caleb said softly.

"Well yes they are," Jim said softly. "But we are all soldiers in the same war no matter what our ages are."

"What does that mean?" Dr. Ramsey demanded. "What war?"

Caleb was on his feet instantly, standing so fast the chair he had been sitting in crashed back to the floor. Caleb cursed softly at his exhaustion, that he let a friggin' doctor in squeaky dress shoes get the drop on him. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but all he could do was stare at the man and listen to his heart pound in his ears.

"Dr. Ramsey," Jim said as he gently put down Sammy's hand and stood up. Putting a calming hand on his son's tense shoulders he gave it a quick squeeze then cleared his throat. "The war John Winchester is fighting against bad men. If you don't mind let's talk outside."

"What bad men," Dr. Ramsey asked.

"Dr. Ramsey my nephew is clearly not himself due to medications you and your staff put him on. Am I demanding answers?" Jim asked almost cordially. "No I'm not. Please let's take this outside the room so we do not upset Samuel any more than he already is."

"Fine," Dr. Ramsey said as he turned on his heel and walked out. He slammed his files on the top of the nurse station counter and turned to the men. "This better be fantastic story gentlemen. One look to my nurse here and social services will be here to protect that child before you can do one damn thing about it."

Pastor Jim held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I told you before when you asked about Mary that she died when Sammy was six months old. The man that killed her was a convict out on a promise to appear. Needless to say he didn't show and ran. He'd been out on the loose for about four months when he'd broke into the Winchester's home. He killed Mary in front of their six month old baby boy. John heard Mary scream and rushed into the room, but by then it was too late. The man had a knife poised over Sammy ready to strike down the baby. John tried to stop him and there was a struggle. A lamp broke exposing the wires. Rather than finishing the job the criminal ran. John got his children out safely but it was too late for their Mother. Since then John has been on his own personal crusade. Hunting and tracking down men and women who are running from the law and hurting people while they do so."

"He's a bounty hunter?" Ramsey scoffed.

Jim nodded. "Granted it's not much of a life for his children but generally speaking they are well cared for. Last month John took them camping in the woods for a vacation. He was tracked down and attacked by some of the men that he'd previously helped to put behind bars. There were five men that attacked and beat these two boys. Dean did what he usually does and protected his little brother against the worst of it.

"While they were recuperating John got a lead on these men and took Sammy with him. I knew about it, but he swore Sam was only there to be a look out and give him first aid if needed. Sam may only be thirteen but the boy does wonders with a stitch kit and bandages. Normally John would've taken Dean for that, but Dean was in no condition to go anywhere."

"I see," Dr. Ramsey said looking unimpressed. "Well that certainly is quite the story, now isn't it."

"It's true," Caleb said.

"That certainly sells me," Ramsey said sarcastically.

Caleb shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed. "When I was a kid John had been tracking a man that my father had helped to convict. He was out on parole, but hadn't checked in or done any of the stuff he was supposed to. Instead he broke into our home and he tied us up. He made me watch as he killed my father, then my mother. He was about to start on me when John burst in and took him down," Caleb said softly. While it wasn't completely true, John and Jim had saved him from the entity had killed his parents.

"Oh," the doctor said softly as he saw the pain on the younger man's features then sighed. "Fine. So their father is a bounty hunter. You can vouch for him keeping them safe?"

"Yes," Pastor Jim said softly. "When he does have a serious situation he usually leaves the children with me."

Ramsey nodded. "What about school?"

"Home schooled mostly. John makes arrangements with whatever district they're in for the children to have tests done. Usually though he brings them to my home and we make arrangements for them to have tests in that school district, mostly because they have their records."

"All right fine," Ramsey said.

"What about Sam?" Caleb asked.

"I checked him out just after he was sick. The boy will be fine," Dr. Ramsey said.

"So what made him sick?" Caleb asked.

"The concussion could have made him vomit. It's not uncommon for people with concussions to feel nauseated," Ramsey said.

"Fine I get that but he looks completely stoned," Caleb pressed.

"Yes I suppose he would be. Unfortunately Sam just got his second dose of pain meds too soon. Happens vary rarely when the shift changes," Ramsey said his tone apologetic. "A couple hours and the excess will be flushed out of his system. He'll still be groggy and may suffer some short term memory loss; both are common after a concussion. Once he wakes up though, he should be more lucid but we will need to continue to monitor him and medicate for any pain."

"And Dean?" Caleb asked his tone softening.

Ramsey sighed. "That boy has a long road ahead of him yet. He'll still be critical for at least the next 24 to 48 hours."

"Why so long?" Caleb asked.

"The antibiotics we are giving to him are strong but they do not work instantaneously. I've given him as much as I dare to but they still take time to get into his system and begin to work. It will be a couple of days before we know if his body is responding to the treatment. Unfortunately there are no miracle drugs and so we will just have to play the waiting game. Dean is a very sick sixteen year old boy. Frankly he won't be well for quite some time," Ramsey said.

"Can we see him?" Jim asked.

Ramsey nodded. "Look it won't be easy to see him in that condition but I will allow short visits. Only one at a time and at five minutes each."

"Now?" Caleb asked.

Ramsey looked at him, took in the black bags under his eyes and sighed. "When was the last time you slept?"

Caleb paused as he had to think about it. "Uh two days ago, no wait could've been three."

"Caleb," Jim said his tone saying enough that his son ducked his head slightly.

"Great. Well I'm glad you made it instead of wrapping yourself around a telephone pole," Ramsey said as he shook his head.

"I'll stay with Sam until you return. I don't like the boy to be alone for too long," Jim said and yawned. He'd not slept well since John had told him about Sam's test. "I better grab some coffee. Caleb?"

"Yeah I'll take one. Thanks," he said as he followed the doctor out.

Dr. Ramsey lead Caleb towards the pediatric intensive care unit where Dean was and decided he'd look up some motels nearby when he got a minute so the man could get some sleep.

0000000000000

Sam woke alone in a room all by himself blinking at a mural of Snow White and the seven dwarves. He tried to remember when they got back to the house, but he was pretty sure his room didn't have a woman and seven small men painted on the wall.

His mind flashed a picture of his father bleeding under a tower of rock and his heart rate increased slightly. Then another flash of him hitting the floor, driving and Pastor Jim hovering over him but even those pictures seemed grainy and out of focus.

The one clear thing he remembered was Pastor Jim saying Dean was coming. Another glance around the room showed no one else around, except the creepily cheery mural and an empty bathroom with the door open and the light off. So where was his brother?

His back felt sore so he tried to shift over onto his side and found his right arm was in a cast and rested in a sling. He brought his other hand over to touch it and saw an IV in the back of his left hand. With a small sigh he lifted his hand and felt the bandage that covered part of his hairline. He frowned. When did he hit his head?

It didn't matter. "Dean?" He said softly meaning to ask his brother how he hurt himself this time and got no answer. He looked up in surprise. Pastor Jim said Dean was coming. So where was his brother?

He saw another flash of memory of his father flying through the air and was overwhelmed at the need to find him, or Dean or someone who could tell him what was going on. He needed to see his family and talk to them. Right now he'd do about anything to hear his father talk to him, even yell at him, if it meant he was ok.

Slowly Sam got out of bed and grabbed his IV pole to steady himself before shuffling towards the doorway. The room swam slightly in his vision and he was glad he had the pole to keep him steady.

He paused as he got to the doorway and stood there for a moment. No one was around although there was some commotion at the end of the hall. He could hear a kid crying over loud adult voices and he wondered if that kid got caught sneaking out. Sam took his chance and stepped out of the room unsure of where he was going.

"Hey Sammy," Pastor Jim said as he put a hand on the boy's good shoulder. "Where are you off to?"

Sam blinked up at him. "I… um… Where's Dad?" He asked softly and blinked back tears.

Jim smiled. "John is resting right now. As you should be," he said gently.

"But he's hurt," Sam said and paused. "I… think."

"Yes he is. He'd going to be ok Sammy. Come on now. Let's get you back into bed," Jim said.

"But I wanted to…" Sam said and looked down at the floor. He wanted to go somewhere didn't he?

"Sam you shouldn't be out of bed yet. Your father knows that," Jim explained softly knowing the boy must have a headache.

Sam looked up at the preacher with tears in his eyes. "I want Dean," he said blushing. He needed Dean here to tell him what to do. He was old enough to be alone but everything felt wrong, fuzzy and it bothered him that his brother and father were not here.

"I know you do but he's being looked after in a different room. Into bed now," Jim said as he ushered the boy back into his room.

Sam allowed himself to be moved back to his bed and sat down on the mattress. "Are they ok?" he asked softly.

"They will be given time," Jim said.

"What happened to Dad? I think he… flew," Sam said as he put a hand against his temple.

"Lay down Sam and I'll tell you, ok?" Jim asked.

Sam looked at him for a moment. He wanted to lie down, close his eyes and forget everything that had happened, or what he thought might have happened. His head hurt, like someone was beating on it, and he just wanted the fogginess to go away. Every time he thought he remembered something it faded away.

And where was Dean?

"Where'd Dean go?" he asked.

"Sammy lie down son," Jim said putting a hand on his shoulder and pressing gently on it.

Sam did as the preacher asked and watched groggily as Jim pulled the blankets over him. His eyes never left the cleric as the man sat on the bed next to him.

"Your Dad is nearby. He's being treated for chest wounds and some minor cuts. Dean is also here and being looked after," Jim said. "When you're better I'll take you to see your Dad but for now you need to stay put."

Sam sighed and closed his eyes then snapped them back open. "Are they really ok Pastor Jim," he asked. His head was killing him. He felt so lost and alone which was silly. Pastor Jim was right here with him.

"Yes Sam. They're all right," he said. He knew John would be storming about the place in a few days. Dean would be too, it would just take much longer for the young man to recover.

Sam looked at Jim for a moment before letting his eyes drop again. "Hmm kay," he said sleepily and closed his eyes.

Jim stayed next to Sam for a few minutes longer then moved to the chair next to the bed.

Sam opened his eyes almost a half hour later, looked around the room and blinked at Pastor Jim. "Where's Dean?"

Jim sighed softly and prayed for patience.

0000000000000

"He's in that room there," Ramsey said gesturing at a room off to his right and went straight for the nurse's desk. "Hey."

Caleb turned back to look at him.

"You need to be prepared for what you will see in there. He's hooked up to a lot of machines. Also, you need to be prepared for the possibility that the infection will overwhelm his system. If that happens then Dean will suffer secondary organ failure," Dr Ramsey stated.

"What are you talking about? I just thought that you would flush the infection out of his system," Caleb said.

"Well yes, but by the time Dean arrived here, his body had already started shutting down. His blood pressure was bottoming out, his heart was racing, and then he went into respiratory distress. The symptoms indicate that Dean is not handling the stress the infection is waging on his system. There is a very real chance that his kidneys will fail next," Ramsey replied.

"What happens then," Caleb asked.

"He would need dialysis. Once his body recovers from the infection, he may regain his kidney function but it's possible that he could need a transplant. Dialysis is only meant to be temporary," Ramsey said. "Look I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Here you go doctor," Nurse Mabel said handing him Dean's file.

"Thank-you," he said and turned back to Caleb. "It's not easy to see someone that's as sick as Dean is."

"I'm going in there," Caleb said strongly.

Dr. Ramsey nodded. "Yes of course you are. I just wanted to tell you to talk to him. It's important to still talk to people that have been sedated. It's comforting for the patient and can help keep Dean calm."

"I thought he was on meds to keep him calm and asleep," Caleb said as he frowned.

"Yes. He is on medication for that. But we find that they respond better if someone they know, a voice they recognize, talks to them," Ramsey said. "It's not easy but talk about old times, or jokes you've played on each other. Just talk with him, try to be reassuring."

Caleb nodded. "I can do that."

"Great. Five minutes, ok?" Dr. Ramsey said.

"Yeah. Five minutes. I got it," Caleb said as he walked to the door and his step faltered. Paling slightly he put a hand on the door frame. God he'd known the kid was sick, but this? Where did the wires end and where did Dean begin? There were things he recognized respirator, blood pressure cuff, oxygen meter on his finger and IV lines but there were things that he didn't want to see, or think about the kid having.

With a shaky breath Caleb pulled a chair up next to the bed and put his hand over Dean's wrist. "Hey kiddo. It's me, Caleb," he said softly.

He was silent for a moment as he watched the reading on the heart monitor move and listened to the hiss and beep of the respirator. His face hardened.

"Damnit Dean. For God's sake this wasn't necessary," he bit out then took a calming breath. He could save the lecture and ass kicking for when the boy was awake.

"I thought we had an understanding, dude. Granted we never talked about it, it just kinda started happening. You'd just call out of the blue, never say what was on your mind, you'd make me guess," Caleb said with a small smile. "Half the time I knew I'd have it right but you'd never admit to anything."

He looked up at Dean's pale face as the beeping and hissing noises continued.

"When things got rough you would call. Started when you were what, seven?" Caleb said and his other hand came up enclosing Dean's cold hand between his. "John was sick and you had no idea what to do. Then the calls came when John had gone to hunt something somewhere. Sammy had finally gone asleep and the silence was killing you."

A smile crept over Caleb's face. "I drove all night to save your sorry butt from the boogeyman who you were going to salt and burn as soon as you could find it. Of course no matter how much I insisted that you couldn't do that because there wasn't a body you wouldn't back down. You were going to kill it before it got a chance to hurt Sammy," he said and was quiet for another moment. He decided right then he hated the sound of the respirator and heart monitor.

"Then there was the time that your Daddy didn't make it home one night after he went for a hunt on what was it… Oh yeah. A Vetala. What a nasty little bitch that was. Anyway you called Pastor Jim just like your father instructed but when you couldn't get him you called me. Still wouldn't tell me anything but at three in the morning I knew something major was up. Took two hours of cajoling, talking and ordering before you finally broke down and told me your father hadn't called. Half hour later I was at the motel, you opened the door and after a moment's hesitation you rushed me. Held on so tight I couldn't breathe. God you were what seven? Far too young to be left on your own, and stupid enough to not call me and tell me to come get the two of you. You've not changed much have you?

"When you got older you called and never knew what to say, never knew how to tell me you were scared for whatever reason. Mostly you called when your Dad was late in checking in, or had gone to the bar and not returned. Or he was on a hunt and Sammy got too sick for you to look after on your own.

"Sometimes it was just plain old boredom. Wanted someone to talk to who was closer to your age, who knew more stuff.

"Do you remember when Jim told me where you were and I just showed up? You were what, eleven? Man you would have thought it was the fourth of July. You'd been bored stiff, tired of Sammy being Sammy and saw me as someone better to pass the time with. Then after about thirty seconds of being all beyond happy you nosedived into panic. You got all demanding. Where's dad. Blah blah blah. Took almost an hour to calm you down and by then the movie which I had come to take you both to had started," he laughed and blinked slightly when he thought he'd heard the heart monitor change rhythm but it continued on with its steady beat.

"Of course this is all funny now, not then. You never laughed much back then. Not enough anyway. You were already an adult by the time I'd met you. Almost five and sprung into part time parenting."

Caleb sighed. "I let you clam up in the last year or so. You've been almost as quiet as the day I met you. All walled up leaving nothing but this ridiculous cocky attitude. You can't hide from me Dean. You opened up to me first when you were just a kid petrified we were going to take Sammy away from you. I don't know what happened to the trust we had, the trust you had in me but we'll get it back kiddo as soon as I'm done kicking your ass for being so freaking stupid," he said hearing his voice crack over the last few words.

"You should have called me. You and I are so having this out when you wake up cause this was sheer stupidity you idiot," he all but whispered then his hand reached out and gently pushed Dean's bangs off his forehead. "Your hair's gotten long again. I'm afraid it's time for another brush cut. Although would long hair be so bad? Maybe just down to your shoulders, chicks are really into that now."

Dr. Ramsey stood behind Caleb just outside the doorway. He'd been ready to ask the young man to leave but he turned back to the nurses' station instead.

"Do you remember last year's prank war," Caleb started to say as he heard Ramsey move away from the doorway.

"Hey Marge. Do me a favour?" Ramsey asked.

"Sure. It's not like I have anything better to do," the nurse said.

"Can you give Dean's visitor another ten minutes before you kick him out?" Ramsey asked.

Marge gave the doctor a huge smile. "Sure thing doc."

"Nicely Marge," Ramsey urged.

Marge gave him a wink. She loved giving this doctor a hard time because he rarely rose to the bait. "Fine," she said.

"Thank you," Ramsey said softly and left ICU.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them. Not seeing that change any time soon…

**Author's Notes:** It's a little later than planned but here it is. Some language and if hospitals freak you out then don't read this. That said more concussed!Sammy; hurt!John, hurt!Dean, worried!Jim and worried!Caleb.

Thanks to lynxlan and heather for the betas! You girls rock.

Chapter 10 is all but done. Needs a few changes and then should be ready to be betad.

On with the chapter. Let me know what you think.

* * *

**Renovations **

**Chapter 9**

**By infinite shadow**

Groggily Sam opened his eyes and stared at the two empty chairs where Pastor Jim and Caleb had been the last time he'd been awake.

His head felt foggy and he tried to remember the reason he was here, or at least how he'd gotten here. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to blank his mind. He frowned as flashes came through his mind: Dad flying through the air, digging him out of the rubble, Dean in a hospital bed telling him to sign my cast like a good bitch.

A small smile crept onto his face and he opened his eyes. Settled with the fact that the reason that Dean wasn't there was because he was in a different room. His big brother was still being looked after because of the surgery he'd had on his ankle.

He stayed there for a short while trying to remember more and the memory of his father being so badly hurt overwhelmed him. He needed to find his father, or at least get an update on his condition preferably from Dean. He could do with his brother's coloured opinion of his father's condition. Dean would explain and help take away some of this fogginess in his memory.

Slowly he sat up and the room seemed to tilt crazily for a moment before it stilled. Everything seemed to have a dull throbbing to it, but he did his best to push back the sensation. He reached to pull off his covers but found his hand was attached to a clear tube. It took a moment to realize it was his IV feed. He looked at it before he decided that it would just slow him down.

Bringing the back of his hand over to the one in the sling he removed the piece of tape that secured it over his skin and winced as he slowly drew the needle out of his flesh. He let it go, pulled off the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

His bare feet touched the cool floor and he gingerly stood up cataloguing the aches and pains. His back, shoulder and head all gave notice that they were not impressed with moving.

Sam took small dragging steps to the doorway. Glancing around he saw the nurses' station was empty as was the general area.

As fast as he could he made his way past what he supposed was bright cheerful walls with murals of children playing, past the empty play room and out of the kids ward.

He wandered down the hallway using the large wooden handrail that ran the length of the corridor. He heard the distinctive bell of an elevator and he frowned as he glanced around himself and didn't see it. The corridor ended just ahead and he made his way to the corner and peered around it.

The elevator doors opened and people got on and off the lift.

Sam spotted Caleb leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He was speaking to Pastor Jim easily and then shook his head. Jim nodded in return as he reached out and gave his son's arm a squeeze.

The foot traffic around them thinned out and eventually left just the two of them in the corridor.

Sam looked around himself to make sure he was still ok, that someone hadn't noticed him and taken an interest. No one had noticed him and as he scanned back up the hallway he noticed a sign on the wall with colour strips that matched the lines on the floor but he couldn't quite make out the words.

Movement caught his eye and he saw Pastor Jim heading towards him. He backed away from the corner and looked for somewhere to hide. He'd come this far he wasn't about to be caught. Seeing a supply room he rushed over and tried the door. The knob turned easily and he slipped into the room leaving the door open a crack. He watched for Jim to pass by and he slowly tried to count to thirty. The first time he got to twelve and lost his place. He slumped back against a shelf and tried again. The second time he got to nineteen before he lost his train of thought.

Giving a quiet huff of frustration he went out of the room and came face to face with an orderly.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in there," he said giving Sam a slight grin.

"I was.. uh... Where's the gift shop?" Sam asked.

"Downstairs by the entrance," he said then gave him a good once over. "I think you need to skip shopping for a while and go back to bed."

Sam nodded thoughtfully and seriously wished he hadn't. "Yeah. Maybe I'll just head back to my room," he said and tried to walk past the orderly.

"Hey you're awfully pale. Are you ok to get back to your room?" He asked softly looking at the bandage on his forehead.

"Yeah. It just looks bad. Really," Sam said with a shrug that made his shoulder scream in protest.

The orderly shrugged and let the boy pass intent on getting what he needed from the room.

He looked down the hallway to see Jim turn with the orange stripe on the floor. A piece of information he tucked away for later then moved back to the elevator. Caleb was gone and Sam walked further down the hallway and turned at the first hallway.

It was another ward. But this time there were no creepy murals on the walls. Older patients walked the hallway here and one patient was being wheeled into the TV room at the end of the hall.

He was tired and wanted to turn back to his room but he persisted on instead. A few more steps down the hall and he started to shake and his shoulders began to slump. His head was throbbing and all he wanted to do was lie down so he could sleep.

He pushed on going further down the ward slowly passing each room hoping to hear familiar voices. He paused a few times when he thought he'd heard Caleb's deep laugh, or his father's horse voice but they weren't right.

The hallway seemed to tilt slowly back and forth like a ship on slightly rocky water. Exhaustion made him hold onto the wood rail on the wall almost pulling him along. Fearful that he was on the wrong ward he was almost at the end of the hallway when he finally heard it. His father's chuckle and Caleb's voice. The sounds washed over him and his eyes filled with tears in relief. The floor seemed to tilt on a ninety degree angle and he stumbled slightly before he could steady himself.

"Hey kid you ok?" A man asked dressed in white clothes asked as he grabbed Sam's bicep to keep him steady.

Sam blinked at him for a second. "Yeah I'm ok," Sam said. "My dad's in there with my uncle."

The orderly gave him a disbelieving look then glanced down at his wrist. He let him go and watched him go into the room then headed for the nurses station.

"Cut the crap Caleb," John said. "You said you were here instead of Bobby. Where's Dean?"

Sam saw Caleb shift slightly and shove his hands in his pockets.

"Don't make me get up Caleb. I don't care what I've got in me. Where is my boy?" John demanded.

Sam could hear the fear under his father's anger and it made him shiver slightly. He took small steps forward wanting to hear about Dean. Ignoring the curious looks from the other patients in the room he shuffled forward slightly to hear better.

Caleb sat down in a chair just out of arms reach from John and sighed heavily. "It's not good. He's got blood poisoning. It's gotten into his system and overwhelmed him. Doc has him on strong antibiotics to fight the infection and they've sedated him," Caleb explained.

"Sedated? Why?" John asked his tone softening immediately as icy fear filled his veins. Dean had been injured but not that badly, had he?

Sam stopped at the foot of a bed feeling light headed at the news and the fear in his father's voice.

"Standard protocol for," Caleb faltered then seemed to steeled himself. "Dean was having trouble breathing so he's on a respirator."

There was a pause as if Caleb was waiting for John to say something.

Sam blinked a few times as the room began to tilt and spin slightly.

"Doc said that if Dean doesn't improve then his kidneys would probably follow. They're showing signs of poor output. They're giving it time but they will put them on dialysis if necessary," Caleb finished explaining.

Sam wavered slightly and gasped softly. Dean had organ failure?

"You ok there boy?" A man asked as Sam paused and grabbed the foot of the bed to steady himself.

Sam closed his eyes to fight back the dizziness and heard a chair scrape on the floor.

"Sammy?" Caleb asked softly and quickly moved to the boy. He put his hands on Sam's shoulders to steady him.

Sam's eyes flew open at the touch and he tried to back away. Caleb was lying, he had to be. Dean had a broken ankle and stuff but he wasn't that sick. He wasn't dying.

"Easy Sammy," he said calmly.

"Caleb what's happening?" John demanded not being able to get up because of the drainage tubes in his belly.

Sam's eyes darted from Caleb to the curtain and back to Caleb.

"Come on. You need to sit down," Caleb said trying to coax the youth over to the chair he'd just vacated.

Sam shook his head. This felt wrong and he glared at Caleb. "You're lying!" He shouted then winced as his own loud voice made his headache increase tenfold.

Caleb sighed. Sam wasn't supposed to hear about Dean's condition yet. He was too confused with the concussion to really understand what was happening with himself let alone Dean. "Sammy I wish I was," he said softly.

"Caleb!" John yelled.

Caleb winced at the tone, one that he recognized as an order. He was about to say something to Sammy but jerked upright instead when Dr. Ramsey entered the room.

"What's this?" He asked.

Sammy startled at the sound of the doctor's voice and pushed past Caleb rushing to the end of the room. His good hand hit the glass window that was nestled into the wall. His heart was racing as he came to the realization that he was trapped. Caleb was lying and he needed to find his Dad. Pain spiked through his head and his heart pounded in his ears. He whimpered as he drew back slightly from the window and put his hand on the side of his head willing the pain away.

"Sammy?" John said as his youngest child came into view.

"What do you think you're doing? That child has no business being out of bed," Dr. Ramsey said.

Caleb's voice rang out in anger even though Sammy had no idea what he was saying. He spun around seeing the two exchange heated words. He had to leave. He had to find Dean and Dad. They had to get out of here and find somewhere safe.

John watched his boy for a second. His boy was so pale and he could see him breathing heavily as wide scared eyes darted back and forth between the two fighting men. He had to stop that nonsense right now.

Sam saw the doctor step towards Caleb he stepped back into the wall. He whimpered and lurched forward.

"Sammy come over here," John said.

Sam's eyes were wide with fear and his breathing was heavy as he watched Caleb argue with the doctor. He couldn't let Dean die. He had to get out of the room and find somewhere safe to take Dean.

"Samuel front and center," John ordered.

Sam moved reacting to the order without realizing he was moving but kept watching Caleb and Ramsey.

John reached out and grabbed Sam's hand. "Hey look at me."

At the rough touch and strong familiar voice Sam looked at his father. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Calm down," John said strongly hoping to break through the fear and confusion on his son's face.

"Dad," Sam said his voice wavering in relief and fear. Before he could stop himself he lunged forward and buried his face in his father's shoulder.

"Sammy calm down now," John ordered and winced as he pulled his son up.

Sammy whimpered slightly as he lost contact with his father.

"Look at me," he said softly. "You need to calm down. Slower breaths."

"But Dean," Sammy started to say.

"Dean will be fine. This stops now Sam," John said strongly as he squeezed Sam's wrist gently.

Sam lowered his head, took a slight step back and stared at the floor. "Yes sir," he whispered.

"Hey," John said softly.

Sam sniffed and looked at his father through his bangs.

"You need to keep it together here son. I know you're scared and hurting but everything is going to be ok," he said. "You need to believe that."

Sam sniffed again and nodded.

"Caleb will take you back to your room. I expect you to stay there unless Jim, Caleb, me or Dr. Ramsey take you somewhere," John ordered.

"But Dad," Sam whined.

John pinned him with a stern stare. "Confined to quarters. Am I understood?"

Sam sighed and shifted on his feet. "Yes sir."

"Ok. Things will be better tomorrow Sammy. I promise," John said softly.

Sam stared at his father for a moment. Seeing the truth in his eyes he nodded again.

"Come here," he said.

Sam looked down at the machine on the floor next to his father's bed. Then followed the tubing up under the blankets. He hesitated but moved closer to his dad.

"I know things are scary right now but I need you to hold on for a bit. Be the strong little boy I know you are. Can you do that for me little man?" John asked just loud enough for his son to hear him.

Sam nodded. "Ok," he whispered.

"Go with Caleb now," John said.

"Dad? Is Dean going to die?" Sam asked his voice barely a whisper.

John tightened his grip slightly. "Dean's a fighter, you know that."

Sam nodded and swallowed against the lump in his throat. He would not cry in front of his father.

"Go on now. Back to your room," John said then flicked his gaze to Caleb then back to Sammy.

Sammy glanced up as Caleb touched his shoulder. He leaned into the older man and allowed himself to be lead away from his father.

Caleb waited until Sam fell asleep then left the room. He found Dr. Ramsey at the nurse's station. At the doctor's questioning look he shrugged slightly. "He's asleep."

Ramsey nodded. "That's good. His concussion is giving him some trouble."

Caleb pursed his lips and frowned slightly. "That's normal, right?"

"Yes it is. Look I'm sorry I blew up earlier. It was uncalled for," he said softly. "Sometimes kids just need their parents."

"Yeah and sometimes they need their big brothers too," Caleb said softly.

"Yes I suppose they do," he said.

"When Sam improves he'll want to see Dean," Caleb said.

Ramsey sighed heavily. "Look I can get behind Sam's visit to his father if you or the pastor take him over. Dean's not going to know that Sam's there," he said.

"Yeah but," Caleb started.

"That child in there has been traumatized enough for the next few days," Ramsey stressed.

"But," Caleb tried again.

"Hey I'm not saying no. Come and ask me in a few days. Give the concussion time to heal, give Dean time to fight back the infection," he said.

"Ok but what if Dean doesn't improve? You said there was a distinct possibility of that," Caleb said.

"Yes I did. If it comes down to that then yes, by all means the boy can go up and see his brother. But I've not given up on Dean. He's been fighting very hard on his own. With a little help from us he's got a good chance to pull through," Ramsey said.

Caleb nodded feeling some of the stress leave his shoulders. He was not giving up on Dean. That would never happen, but to hear a bit brighter prognoses from the doctor felt amazing. He staggered slightly with the relief.

Dr. Ramsey sighed and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Here."

Caleb frowned but took the paper. "What's this?"

"Motels. They're not fabulous but they are cheap and clean. You are asleep on your feet as is the pastor. I'm off in another half hour. When I'm back tomorrow afternoon I expect to hear that you two got a few hours of sleep, a decent meal and a few hours break from this place. Am I understood?"

Caleb shook his head. "I'm fine."

Ramsey snorted. "Yeah sure you are. The next thing I know you'll be on John's ward after collapsing from exhaustion."

"I'm not leaving," Caleb said with a warning tone in his voice.

"Well I can't force you to go, but consider this," Dr. Ramsey said softly. "Sam will be a whole lot clearer tomorrow. You need to be able to keep up with him. He's concussed and fairly confused at the moment but even in that state he left his room on his own and found his father. What if on the third try he walks into Dean's room alone without anyone to explain what's happening?"

Caleb paled slightly. He didn't want the thirteen year old to see his older brother until he woke up and had most of the machinery removed. "Ok. I'll go, but I can't speak for Jim. I can talk to him and see what he says," he said softly.

"Thank you," Dr. Ramsey said.

0000000000000

Jim walked towards ICU. He wasn't a stranger to hospital intensive care wards. He did many visits to hospitals with his pastoral duties. It was never easy to see people hurt and needing this kind of care, but always harder when he saw one of the Winchesters or his own son in a place such as this.

He paused at the nurse's desk and was shown the correct room with a wave of a hand. Thanking the nurse the pastor moved into Dean's room. One step into the room and his face paled under his dark beard. Lines snaked out from different monitors and into Dean or under the sheet.

He recognized all of it and he made himself think about it in clinical terms to regain his composure.

The blanket came up just above his hips. Two heart monitor leads were attached to his chest which monitored the electrical activity of his heart. A pulse oximeter was attached to his finger to measure his oxygen levels and higher up on his right bicep was a blood pressure cuff.There was an endotracheal tube in his mouth that was attached to the respirator helping the sixteen year old breathe. A nasogastric tube had been inserted in through Dean's nose so he could get sustenance while sedated. Lastly what he figured must have been a foley catheter tube came out from the side of the bed and ended in a small bag on the side of the bed.

Sighing softly he sat in the same chair his own son had vacated a mere fifteen minutes earlier. He reached to take Dean's hand in his own but paused seeing his own hand trembling slightly. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath to calm himself managing only to smell disinfectant and what he thought could've been topical ointment.

Jim let out his breath. Feeling steadier he reached out and took Dean's cool hand in his own.

"Hey Dean," he said softly as if he was afraid he'd wake the boy.

As he sat there he found himself remembering pieces of time, snippets of the boy's childhood. Teaching him tai chi, new fighting moves and he grinned slightly remembering just how much the boy hated to speak Latin.

_Jim smiled at the nine year old sitting across from him at his dining room table. "It__'__s necessary to learn this for the type of work you will be doing. Fluency will make it easier when banishing a spirit."_

_Dean scrunched up his face for a moment considering the words. "But it__'__s different sounding. No one understands me when I say the words."_

"_I understand you. You__'__ve learned a lot of words in a short time," Jim praised._

_Dean shook his head slightly and looked down at his worn notebook._

"_Your father understands you too, right?" Jim asked._

_Dean nodded but didn__'__t say anything._

"_But Sammy doesn__'__t," Jim surmised. "Is that what the problem is?"_

_Dean nodded and looked up at the pastor. "Sometimes Dad makes me talk only in Latin when he gets mad. Sammy doesn__'__t understand and he gets upset. He feels left out."_

"_Well have you tried to teach him a few words?" Jim asked._

_Dean shook his head. "I don__'__t want to. It__'__d be too hard."_

_Jim raised his eyebrows. "Isn__'__t he still repeating everything you say?"_

_Dean huffed. "Yeah."_

"_Well how about when he starts to repeat everything you start talking in Latin. He__'__ll be learning the new words before he knows it," Jim suggested._

"_He__'__s pretty quick," Dean said thinking it over._

_Jim smiled. "Sammy will be speaking Latin in no time. Now then young man back to work. Conjugate this list while I go start dinner."_

_Dean took the paper form Jim and nodded._

"Are you just going to sit and stare at me all day? No offence but it's kinda creepy," Dean said from where he was sitting on the window ledge. "Not that this scenario isn't creepy enough on it's own."

Jim came out of the memory feeling a chill run up his back.

"Hey Pastor Jim why is that? I mean I'm not dead so how come I can see myself lying there with all that stuff on me?" Dean asked from his perch as he frowned. Watching himself breathing and hooked up to machines was really beginning to freak him out. As much as he hated silence he hated the hissing of the respirator and beeping of the heart monitor even more. "I don't remember Dad ever talking about things like this before. You know the not being dead and haunting a room at the same time."

The duty nurse came into the room. "Talk to him. Let him hear your voice so he knows who is here," she said as she checked machinery and made notes in Dean's file.

"Oh man the bitch is back. Don't let her jab anything else into me Pastor Jim. She's touched me in places that just ain't cool," he said with a shudder then grinned. "Nurse Betty on the other hand can definitely come back and give me a sponge bath."

Jim nodded at the nurse and waited patiently for her to finish. He watched as she made a slight adjustment to one of the machines and then left.

"Quite the pickle you have yourself into," Jim said softly.

"It's no big deal. Tell me about Dad and Sam," Dean said. "How'd the hunt go?"

"Got us all pretty wound up and worried about you," Jim continued.

"What this? It's nothing. Be up and about in a day or two," Dean said with a shrug.

"Dean when will you realize that you're not alone in all of this?" Jim asked softly.

"I know that. I've got you, Dad, Caleb, Bobby and most importantly I have Sammy. Tell me about him," Dean said.

"All you had to do was pick up the phone and one of us would have come to you," Jim said. "After all these years I would have thought you knew that."

"Of course I know that. Didn't want help," Dean shot back.

"I guess you figured you didn't need help. Pride has been the downfall of many men," Jim said. "A strong man knows how to fight. An even stronger man knows when to ask for help. You'd be best to remember that. Not to worry, I'll remind you when you wake up."

Dean snorted and looked away. "Great. Just great. Another freakin lecture. Your son already did the honours."

Jim chuckled slightly. "If you're listening to his I can see you turn away from me right about now."

"Got that right," Dean growled. "I don't need this. I can't even talk back. So not fair."

"Before you stop listening, if you're listening, think of this. If Sammy had been in your shoes what would he have done?" Jim asked.

"He would've called me," Dean said immediately with a bit of a bite to his voice. "Sammy's not stupid."

"He would've called you right? But what if he hadn't?" Jim continued.

Dean shook his head. "No way. Sammy would've called me, Dad or someone else. Besides I was fine until those punks showed up."

Jim watched Dean's expressionless face with a breathing tube in his mouth as his chest rose up and down in cadence to the machinery. "You're such a bright boy. Things in our world seem to come easy to you."

Dean gave the pastor a half grin. "You know they don't."

"But they don't, do they my boy? Strength, pride and such a determination to do everything your father expects of you," Jim said. "You look after Sammy with such ease. Dean you've worked so hard to make it look easy but it's not is it?"

"Why does everyone thing it's this huge deal to look after Sammy? Kid practically looks after himself," Dean said. "Fighting's easy enough when you know what you're doing."

"Has it finally become too much? Is that why you didn't call?" Jim asked.

Dean leaned back against the wall. "It's not hard not like you're thinking. Physically it's easy. But I'm so damned tired," he admitted softly.

"Or did you see this as some misguided penance for Sammy's injuries? Or maybe both?" Jim mused.

"Sammy's tough," he said because he'd made sure that his little brother could handle anything on his own. He just tried to make sure he was always around so Sammy didn't have to handle it alone. Handling stuff alone sucked big time.

Jim sighed. "My boy don't you know what would happen if your Dad and little brother lost you? Or what it would do to all of us?"

Dean straightened up sharply. "He's ok right?"

"You've got to get better. Fight harder than you've ever fought because Sammy needs you," Jim said.

Dean hopped down from the ledge he was sitting on and moved so he was right next to the preacher. "Tell me what's wrong with him!" He yelled just inches from the pastor's face.

Suddenly machines started beeping in alarm and Jim looked from Dean to the machines. "Dean don't you do this. Don't you leave us," he whispered as fear chilled his heart.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: Sadly nothing has changed. I own nothing that you recognize below. But hey if you don't recognize them then they're totally mine.

**Author's notes**: Some swearing, more hospital stuff. Thanks to my betas who are doing a wonderful job keeping me in check.

Thanks for the great reviews. They have been awesome. I should be catching up over the weekend. Sorry on the delay.

It will be at least a week before I get anything else done meaning about two weeks until the next post at most. I'm a little stuck on the next chapter but it'll be up as soon as I can do it.

Some swearing ahead. Read on and let me know what you're thinking.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 10**

**By**** infinite shadow**

Caleb dropped into a chair next to John's bed.

"Sammy asleep?" John asked.

"Yeah. Didn't take long," Caleb said with a tired sigh. "Poor kid's exhausted."

"Yeah," John said then gave the other hunter a strange look. "You sure he was sleeping?"

Caleb nodded. "Deep breathing, relaxed face and didn't even flinch when I touched his hand and said goodbye."

John nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"John I'm sorry," Caleb blurted out suddenly. He knew it wasn't necessary for the man to hear him apologize but deep down he felt like he hadn't done enough.

John gave him a hard look. "For what?"

"I didn't mean to blow up or blurt out Dean's condition like that. Scared the crap out of Sammy, hell I think I scared myself," he said so softly that John had to strain to hear him.

"Forget it. You had no idea he was there. Kid's so silent sometimes even I don't know when he's lurking," John said with a wry smile.

Caleb gave him a small smile.

"I think we both know you have a hair trigger when it comes to the boys," John said. "It's not the first time I've seen you butt heads when you get protective of them."

Caleb sighed softly and looked away. "Yeah."

"Thought we discussed that," John said. "My boys don't need protecting. They can stand on their own."

The younger hunter snorted loudly. "Oh sure they can."

"What the hell does that mean," John demanded.

"Dean's sixteen and beaten to hell by a couple of teenaged punks who had nothing better to do that night and Sammy has a concussion because of that stupid thing you had to do," Caleb shot back. "Did you even throw Sammy a party last week?"

"We were busy," John said. "He understood."

"For fuck sakes John they're not soldiers," Caleb growled.

"Oh and you'd do much better raising them would you? Christ kid you have the same drive I do. Thought we understood that," John lobbied back.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Sure we do but they're just kids. They deserve things like birthdays and safe places to stay."

"Fine. You want Sammy to have a party go ahead and throw it. I haven't got the cash for it. Hell I'll be surprised if I'm still here tomorrow after they run that insurance card," John said his voice cracking softly.

"Fine. I will," Caleb said almost petulantly ignoring John's comment about the insurance.

"Fine," John shot back then closed his eyes and sighed heavily. God Caleb was like his own son the last thing he wanted to do with this headache was fight with him.

"When you guys are released Dad's expecting you all to come back to the house," Caleb said softly.

John was quiet for a minute before opening his eyes. "I don't think Dean will be in any condition to be in a car for a half day to get to Jim's."

Caleb nodded. "I know that but you know Dad. He's already figured out the cleanest motels to stay in between here and there."

John snorted softly. "I bet he has. We're not going. You two interfere far too much in their lives."

"Really? Cause John if I hadn't just shown up I seriously doubt you'd still have two sons. They just about killed him that night," Caleb said.

John looked away trying to fight back the anger rising dangerously in him. God he needed to see Dean.

"I'm not going to stop interfering. No attitude or anger or fights will keep me away. Me or Dad. You three are family," Caleb said with a slight shrug. "No matter how disfunctional we are."

John took a calming breath then cleared his throat. "How was Dean doing?" He asked bringing up the conversation that was interrupted earlier.

Caleb looked away and shook his head slightly. "I'd rather you speak to the doctor."

"Caleb just tell me what you left out," John said softly.

"I didn't," the young man said.

"You left out something," John said.

"I don't know," Caleb said. "I just… There was just so much stuff in there John. He's hooked up to so many things. And I mean the whole nine yards. God it's like Dean's there but nobody's home."

"Caleb," John said.

Caleb ran his hand through his hair and stood up moving over to the window. "Dean is never this still. If he's not doing something he's hands are fiddling with something. It's just…"

"Scary, weird, wrong," John finished for him.

"Yeah but there was something else," Caleb looked out the window.

"Like what?" John asked.

Caleb shook his head slightly, crossed his arms over his chest and sighed heavily.

"Don't think I won't get out of this bed and beat it out of you boy," John said gruffly.

"I have no doubts about that old man," Caleb lobbed back at him with a grin then he let it fall away. "It almost felt like I was being watched while I talked to Dean. But that makes no sense."

"Not everything we do makes sense and you know it. People's spirits can walk in all kinds of forms while living or dead," John said softly then sighed and closed his eyes.

Silence filled the area each man lost in his own thoughts for a few moments. Caleb stared out the window without seeing and John saw the last two hunts play out without opening his eyes.

"Jim's with him?" John asked as he opened his eyes wishing he was the one sitting with his son.

"Yeah. Dad will stay with him until they toss him," he said.

"Then he's not alone," John said.

"John you know that if it was up to us Dad or I would be up there all the time. Ramsey won't allow it. In fact he wants me to get some sleep. Gave me a list of motels," Caleb said then turned back to face the older hunter. "But I'm staying."

John took a good look at him and really saw him for the first time. He hadn't noticed the blackish bags under his eyes or how his shoulders slumped forward slightly or how red his eyes were getting. He looked pretty punchy at the moment. If he'd put his head down he'd be asleep in seconds.

"Go. Get some rest," John said. "Take Jim with you. You'll need all your wits about you to keep Sammy in his bed tomorrow."

Caleb nodded. "Yeah but I can sleep in his room. Bed's open and I'll be there if he needs anything."

John snorted. "They won't let you stay. Just get a motel room and be back in as soon as visiting hours start."

Caleb sighed again. "Fine. Fine. But if he decides to tour the building while we're gone don't blame us."

"Somehow I think he's staying put tonight," John said.

"Oh right. Orders and all that," Caleb said sarcastically.

"Sammy knows when to stay put. He listens to me," John said. "Now get going."

Caleb shook his head.

"Hey don't make me toss your sorry ass out of here," John said sternly.

"Whatever," Caleb said then took a deep breath then started to walk away.

0000000000000

The alarm seemed to get louder by the second and Dean backed up to the wall. He felt weird like he was falling and he bent at the waist slightly as his chest suddenly began to cramp up like he'd just run three miles without breathing.

Jim's eyes moved between Dean's still form and the machinery.

"What happened!" a nurse demanded as she rushed into the room and started checking Dean's vitals.

"I don't know. The machine just went off suddenly. What's wrong with him?" Jim asked fearfully.

"I'm sorry. You'll have to leave now," the nurse said firmly.

"What's wrong with him?" Jim asked again.

"He's having some difficulties. You'll have to leave now," she said briskly.

"Of course," Jim said. As he stood up he leaned closer to Dean. "I'll be back soon my boy. You hold on and get better."

Jim stepped away from the bed as another nurse rushed into the room.

"I've paged Dr. Ramsey," Mabel said.

"Good," the other nurse said as she checked readings and took Dean's pulse.

Jim moved back against the wall reluctant to leave the teen in such distress and he watched the nurse's work on Dean for a few moments.

Ramsey rushed into the room. "What happened?"

"His temperature is up to 103.4. His heart rate is erratic," Mabel reported.

Ramsey glanced at the urine bag and then the readouts from the different machines. "Turn that off. And you have to leave," he snapped at both the nurses and Pastor Jim.

Jim hesitated for only a second then slowly left the room.

Mabel shut off the alarm.

"Ok. Ok. I want a full blood screen, blood gasses, and another culture. Get the cooling blanket back in here," he said then glanced through another page of test results from just an hour previous. "Switch back to the cool saline."

Ramsey sighed one more time as he checked through the reports one more time. "Increase the saline intake by 20 ml every hour. If that doesn't work then we'll have to begin dialysis," he said looking at the teen.

"Fight harder kid," Ramsey said softly.

Dean looked from the doctor to his body lying in the bed. The cramping eased and he straightened up. He felt torn between chasing after Jim and finding his brother. Normally it was a no brainer. He'd run off to find Sammy without a second thought.

But this time he didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he was a spirit, he was still breathing, being kept alive by machines. So was this an astral projection, was it a dream, was he sick with a high fever and none of this was real? Problem was he really wasn't sure if he was really here or still back in that wreck of a house.

If this was a dream, fevered or otherwise, he could go wherever he wanted to and it wouldn't matter. But if this was real did he have to stay near his body? What if by just leaving this room he wouldn't be able to get back into his body? Would he die and turn into a ghost then? He didn't want to become something their family hunted.

Full of indecision he moved back to the window sill and hopped up on it to sit down. After all Sammy had Caleb, Jim and Dad to look after him. Maybe he could just take the night off for once. But the decision left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Sorry kiddo. You're on your own for now," he said softly as he watched his chest move up and down with the respirator. "But when I wake up you are so not leaving my sight."

0000000000000

Sammy had lain down like Caleb had told him to and closed his eyes. Relaxing he let himself fall far enough to make it seem like he was sleeping but not out completely. Giving him the rest he needed for later.

After a while he heard Caleb say goodbye and heard his quiet footfalls as he left the room. He laid there for a while longer for good measure. Caleb knew him well enough to think he might continue to find Dean.

A while later Sammy was fighting off sleep and if he did wait any longer he'd lose the battle and fall asleep. He forced his eyes open and looked around the room to confirm he was completely alone.

Not wanting to wait for the nurse to come in and replace his IV he slowly got up and made his way to the door. He paused momentarily hearing his father's order repeat in his head. He was about to disobey a direct order and bit his lip in slight indecision.

He needed to see his brother and prove to himself that his big brother was not dying. Dean took a lot of hits and just kept getting up. It was seriously hard to believe that he was dying and he refused to believe it.

Decision made he peeked out of his room and found the nurses station empty. Knowing it was now or never he took a step out of the room then made his way out to the main hallway as fast as he could.

He headed down the hallway that he'd seen Jim go down earlier that day. Just as he was about to turn the corner loud alarms began to go off and for a second he though he'd been caught. Loud voices accompanied the alarm and he heard the voices moving away from him.

Carefully he glanced around the corner and saw that there was another nurse's desk a few steps away. There were bright happy colours here and a few pictures but the rooms here were very different. The rooms had glass walls with curtains behind them for privacy. The sign on the wall said PICU. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Swallowing heavily Sammy moved into the ward and shuffled forward slowly until he could look in the first room. There was no patient in there, just a bed and some machines pushed against the walls.

He moved to the next room and saw a little girl, her blonde hair spilling over her white pillow. Her mother was sitting next to her holding her hand, stroking her hair and talking softly. The woman had tears falling down her face.

Sammy frowned and kept moving. He looked through the third door and saw his brother. He stepped just into the room and swallowed hard.

"Dean?" He whispered with large eyes.

"Sammy!" Dean said with a big smile. "Dude where have you been? Don't you care about what was happening to me?"

A doctor rushed past the room and Sammy hurried over to the far side of Dean's bed.

Dean hopped off the window ledge and moved closer to his little brother.

Sammy's eyes tracked the various lines and tubes that led from machines to his brother. Shaking his head his lower lip trembled as tears fell down his cheeks. "What did they do to you?" He whispered.

"Don't be like that little man. It'll be ok. I'll be up and harassing you before you know it," Dean said with a grin.

The thirteen year old shakily touched Dean's hand and gently traced the IV tubing on the back of his brother's hand. "I know most of this stuff. Does it hurt? I remember having some of this stuff from before but I never had something stuffed down my throat and nose before," he said softly and sniffed.

"Trust me dude you never want it either. Oh and there's this nurse who I swear is evil," Dean said. "Bring Dad and do an exorcism or something."

"Dean?" Sam whispered then his lower lip trembled slightly.

The heart monitor beeped and the respirator hissed in response.

Sammy took a shaky breath. "Daddy's mad at me."

"Daddy?" Dean repeated and frowned slightly.

Sammy glanced up as a nurse rushed past the room and another tear tracked down his cheek. He pushed himself closer to the bed, closer to his brother.

"The bandage, tears, shaking and _Daddy_. Got yourself a concussion didn't you little man?" He asked softly.

"I don't know what to do. I screwed up. I need you to wake up and tell me what to do. Please wake up Dean. _Please_," Sammy begged softly.

"C'mon Sammy. This isn't your first concussion. You know that this will get better," he said then chewed his lower lip slightly. "I just wish you could hear me."

"I don't want to be alone," Sammy whispered.

Dean watched fresh tears track down his brother's cheeks. "Don't sweat it Sammy. You'll stay with me tonight, ok?"

"Do you... Can I...," Sammy's voice broke and he let out a quiet sob. He leaned down and touched his forehead to Dean's arm.

"S'all right little man," Dean said softly as he walked up close enough to touch him.

"I hurt all over. Dean I need you to wake up," he said his voice muffled.

"I would if I could Sammy. Just give me some time," Dean said and reached out to touch Sammy shoulder only for his hand to drift right through. "Shit."

A shiver ran through Sammy and he straightened up. He studied the equipment and tubing surrounding his brother. Most of it was on the other side of the bed. On this side there was a boxy thing on his finger, an IV feed and two pads stuck to his chest. He tried but couldn't remember what the things were called. Any other time he could have pointed to each machine, named them, explained how they worked and what made them tick but right now that information was locked away in the fog.

He sniffed softly and looked at his brother's face. More tears fell down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what? You haven't done anything," Dean said.

"Daddy's right I think. I'm not strong enough without you," Sammy said softly. "I'm trying Dean but it's just too hard. Nothing makes any sense and everything keeps going wrong."

"Sammy just relax. You just need to get some sleep, ok? Once you let your head heal from the concussion a little that fogginess will go away," Dean reassured softly as if Sammy could hear him.

Sammy sniffed again as he glanced towards the door. He pulled his arm out of his sling and scrunched his face up in pain.

"Hey you have a sling for a reason. You should leave your arm in there," Dean admonished.

Slowly Sammy pulled himself up onto the bed and carefully avoided the wire that came off of Dean's finger and his IV. He rested his head on his brother's chest and then glanced up.

"Don't give me a hard time about this," he whispered.

"About this? No way. I wouldn't rag on you for this," Dean said.

Sammy curled closer and for the first time since he woke up in his hospital room he felt safe.

"Go to sleep now little man," Dean whispered. "I'll be here."

Sam sighed softly as he closed his eyes.

Twenty minutes later Dr. Selkirk was making his rounds and walked into Dean's room. Frowning at what he saw he opened the file and checked the notes.

"Ah you must be the youngest Winchester," he said with a small smile then went back to the nurse's station. "Hey Kathy I could use some assistance in Dean's room."

Selkirk returned to Dean's room and walked up to see the current readings on the patient. Then looked at Sammy. He reached over and put his fingers on Sammy's wrist to take his pulse.

Dean glared at the doctor and crossed his arms across his chest. "Careful Doc."

Satisfied Selkirk checked Dean's pulse and then went back to the readouts. "Well I'll be," he murmured.

"What do you need?" Kathy asked and then saw Sammy. "Oh."

"I'll need a blanket for him and his file," he said as he looked at Sam's ID bracelet. "Sammy Winchester. There are some marks on the back of his wrist and some flecks of dried blood. It looks like he may have pulled his IV out."

"He's from a few wards over. I'll get his file and see what's up with him," Kathy said then left the room.

Dr. Selkirk took the blanket and gently draped it over the younger boy.

"Dean?" Sammy mumbled.

"Go to sleep little one," Selkirk said softly.

Sammy sighed heavily, tightened his grip on Dean slightly and went back to sleep.

Selkirk let the boys be and checked on another patient until Kathy had Sam's record. Leaning up against the nurse's station he scanned the file.

"So is he staying?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah I think it might be for the best tonight. There's a note here from Dr. Ramsey that he tends to wander. But being that this is his big brother I think he actually might stay put now. He needs his saline solution replaced and give him .05ml of morphine or he'll be in a lot of pain when he wakes up."

"But doctor Dean needs rest. Sammy could inadvertently pull on a wire, or pull out his IV line," she objected.

"Look I know this is unusual but Dean's blood pressure has levelled out, his temperature has lowered and his urine output has increased all since he was brought in and most of the improvement has happened since the last update in the file just after his blood pressure dropped dangerously low. Whatever triggered that response earlier seems to have diminished. I'm thinking that it might have something to do with his little brother," Selkirk said.

"How can he possibly know his little brother is here?" Kathy asked.

Selkirk raised his eyebrows. "Well we always encourage visitors to talk to sedated patients right? Helps keep them calm to a point. It's reassuring."

"But it's not been proven. I kinda think we do that more for the visitors than the actual patient," Kathy replied.

"In some cases yes that's true. While we don't know for sure if patients can hear their family and friend talk to them I'd like to believe that the patient can hear them. Look Dean's had two other people visit, close friends according to Ramsey. And now his little brother is here. Sometimes that kind of support helps. If these two are close, and I suspect they are, then my guess is that he knows. Kind of like older brother radar."

"I don't know," she said doubtfully. It's not that she objected to the younger brother visiting but he could hurt Dean while he slept and the sixteen year old was fighting so hard to begin with. He didn't need to be hurt further than he already was.

"Maybe one day I'll introduce you to my sister. Growing up I was closer to her than my brother or parents. She knew I was going to do something before I did sometimes," he said.

Kathy gave him a disbelieving look but dropped her protest. She had a brother and while they weren't that close she knew without a doubt that if she needed him he'd be there in a second. He would be the one she'd want near her in times of trouble.

"You know she can stay. She's kinda hot," Dean said as he watched her leave the room.

Dr. Selkirk waited for Kathy to leave to get the IV solution and needle then looked around the room. "I'll bet you're lurking somewhere Dean. As long as Sammy doesn't hurt you, pull out something, he can stay until morning," he said.

Dean looked at the man surprised. "Can you hear me?" He asked.

"Did you say something doctor?" Kathy asked as she came back into the room.

"Nope," he said. "Lets get this done so these two can rest."

Kathy cleaned the back of Sammy's hand with a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol.

Sammy stirred and whimpered.

"Shhh," Kathy said. "Easy little one."

Dr. Selkirk took Sammy's hand and found a vein. He was about to insert the needle when Sammy jerked.

"No!" He said and tried to tuck his hand under him. "Don't want it."

Dr. Selkirk smiled gently at him. "It's to help you Sammy."

"Let them do it Sammy," Dean said.

Sammy lifted his head off of his brother's chest and looked around the room. "Dean?" He whispered.

"He's asleep," Kathy said.

"I know you hate needles but one pinch and its over," Dean said.

"It hurts," Sammy said still half awake.

"What hurts?" Dr. Selkirk said. "Sammy what hurts?"

"The needle. My shoulder," he whispered. "Dean wake up."

"Dean needs to sleep," Kathy said.

"I'm right here Sammy," Dean said over Kathy. "The pain will go away. I promise."

"But," Sammy protested.

"Hey I'm right here," Dean said. "Put your head back down and give the doctor your hand. Just close your eyes and go back to sleep."

Sammy relaxed, put his head back on Dean's chest and held out his hand. Closing his eyes he felt the pinch in the back of his hand and felt a warm rush as the saline solution began to enter his system.

"All right take his pulse and temperature when you come in to check on Dean. Page me if there are any changes," he instructed. "But for now let's go check on Melinda."

"The little girl who coded earlier?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah," Dr. Selkirk said. "I'm afraid she's not going to make it through the night."

Dean watched them leave, hopped back up on the window ledge and leaned against the wall. He wanted to wake up and talk to his father but that could wait. He yawned and fought against the exhaustion that was creeping over him. He needed to wake up, wrap his arm around his little brother and make him feel safe.

"But I'd be happy if you could hear me right now," Dean said softly speaking the last of his thoughts. "I'm going to keep watch ok? Then when Jim and Caleb come back in the morning you can stay safe with them."

Maybe then he could let himself rest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Supernatural (except for my non sport trading cards and DVD sets), J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (except my non-sport trading cards, multiple DVD sets, figures, etc) or anything else you recognize in the following story. No infringement is intended. No people, animals or books were harmed in the making of this story.

**Author's notes**: Sorry for the delay in postings. Here is the next chapter. It's a little short, and a little quiet on the action side as will be the next chapter. And there's a little language. Thanks to lynxlan for the quick beta today and to Heather for keeping the medical stuff correctly.

**Renovations **

**Chapter 11**

**By infinite shadow**

Caleb entered PICU. He'd considered stopping by Sammy's room but somehow he didn't believe the boy would be there.

He nodded a hello at the nurse and walked into Dean's room. There curled up against his brother's side was Sammy.

"About friggin time! Do you have any idea how boring it is to watch people sleep?" Dean groused.

Caleb smiled slightly at the sight of the youngest Winchester sleeping soundly and took a moment to hover over both of them. "Morning fellas," he said softly.

He gently touched the back of his hand to Sam's cheek and then touched Dean's forehead.

"You're not getting all medical on us now are you Caleb?" Dean asked with a slight grin. "Too much time with the nurses, huh?"

"You're cooler this morning Dean. That's good," Caleb said then pulled the cover up a little higher over Sammy. "But you're a little too cool little man."

"Sammy's always kicking off the blankets. Luckily he never got pneumonia," Dean said around a yawn.

Caleb eased himself down into an uncomfortable plastic chair. He did feel a little better now that he'd had a good night's sleep and some decent food from the diner down the street. With an easy and contented sigh he hunched over slightly, dug into the backpack he'd brought with him and pulled out a black paper back book.

"Sammy'd mentioned that his copy of the Hobbit had pretty much fallen apart the last time we spoke on the phone," Caleb said softly. "And well I'm not much for one sided conversations so I brought a new set of Lord of the Rings. Figured your copies that I gave you after your first hunt would have been totally trashed by now Dean."

"Actually they began falling apart last year. Still have them though," Dean said with a grin. "I've added notes and Aragorn still has moves I haven't figured out yet. Man would I like to get his sword or Legolas' bow and arrow. I'm not overly picky though. I'd settle on Sting. Maybe get it to glow when demons or spirits are around. Now that'd be cool."

Caleb noisily opened the first few pages of the book and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath intending to start to read but paused taking a glance up at Dean. "You'd better be awake by the end of this first book dude or I swear to begin tickle torture and prank war all on little Sammy on my own without you to protect him."

Dean snorted with a small grin. "Yeah right. If I believed that I'd believe in the Easter Bunny or better yet Santa Claus."

Caleb softly began reading the words of JRR Tolkien and Dean felt himself begin to relax. He curled himself into the nook of the window and let his eyes close. He let the words wash over him and for a minute it actually felt as if he was lying in bed with his brother sleeping next to him before he felt nothing at all.

0000000000000

Jim walked into John's room with a newspaper in his hand.

"Well bout freakin time. What'dya say we get someone to remove this crap out of my side and I get me the hell out of here," John said.

"Well I'd say no," Jim said. "Let's wait to see what your doctor has to say first."

"Screw it. I'll get myself out," John said and reached for the tube in his side.

"You're worse than Sammy," Jim said.

John paused. "What does that mean?"

"Can't wait to pull everything out and go wandering," Jim said.

"That was yesterday afternoon. He had his orders and he would've followed them," John said.

Jim snorted softly.

"What?" John demanded.

"Sammy is a concussed thirteen year old who has a very strong albeit it confused mind of his own," Jim said.

"So? He knows to do what I tell him to do and when I order him to do something he follows it," John said with a firm tone.

"And what if he doesn't," Jim asked.

"He does," John said with a shake of his head. "Sammy's a good kid. Don't have to worry about that."

"Oh I know he's a good kid. And he didn't do as you asked," Jim asked almost enjoying goading John into a fight.

"What?" John asked.

"He didn't," Jim repeated calmly and was relieved when John finally let go of the drainage tube.

John blinked for a moment then ran a hand over his face. "Where is he?" He asked softly.

Jim smiled. "You really have to ask?"

John sighed. "Guess not," he said softly.

"You really are a bear in the morning, you know that?" Jim said.

"Just need a caffeine fix. If I'm going to be stuck here how about smuggling me in a cup?" John asked.

"Caleb promised to bring some after he saw Dean," Jim said.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Dr. Shaw said.

"Hey doc," John said. "I think I've healed enough. Get this crap out of me. I want out."

Jim chuckled. "You might want to come back after he's had coffee."

"Oh I've faced much more grumpy people in my time," Shaw said with a grin.

"Seriously doc. I need to see my kids," John pressed.

Dr. Shaw opened John's file and glanced down at the drainage container. "Honestly Mr. Winchester I'm not convinced you've healed enough to be discharged. You are still draining a fair bit of fluid, granted it has lessened since you were admitted but there is enough to still be concerned over. I'll have your younger son brought down to you."

"Or if we wait long enough Sam may come down on his own," Jim quipped.

John glared at him. "Funny."

"My other profession is a comedian," Jim said with a smile.

Dr. Shaw cleared his throat.

"I want an update on Dean," John demanded glaring at the doctor.

Shaw nodded. "I can get that for you as soon as I've finished checking on my patients."

"Or I can find out for you. Caleb's with them right now. If something was wrong he would've been down here to let us know," Jim said.

"Don't tell me they're fine. They're not. Dean's being kept alive on a machine and I haven't even seen him yet," John snarled.

"Mr Winchester please stay calm," Dr. Shaw started to say but got cut off.

"I want to see my son now," John demanded.

"I think I'll get that coffee now," Jim said as he stood up.

"Mr Winchester if you do not calm down I will not hesitate to sedate you," Dr. Shaw warned.

"I don't need to sedation. I need to see my boys," John barked.

"Just relax," Shaw said.

"Relax? My boy is dying and you want me to relax?" John exclaimed.

"Back in a bit John," Jim said moving out of the way of the doctor.

"Yes relax. Let us take care of you for a few days," Shaw said.

"Screw it. Get me a god damned AMA!" John shouted.

"I don't think so," Dr. Shaw said and looked at the nurse who was just coming into the room. With one look he communicated to her what he needed and she hurried out of the room.

John reached down and began to pull on the drainage tube.

"Mr Winchester if you pull that out you will drown in your own blood," Dr Shaw cautioned as he tried to pull John's hand away.

"Yeah right. I'm leaving," John said and then scrunched his face up in pain as the tubing moved an inch.

The nurse hurried back in and gave a loaded syringe to the doctor. "Sir please don't pull on that! You'll hurt yourself."

Dr. Shaw went over to John's IV line and added the contents of the syringe to the saline flowing into his wrist.

John tried to push the nurse off of his arm when he suddenly lost the urge to fight. His hands fell back from the nurse and he relaxed into the mattress.

"That should do it," Shaw murmured.

John smiled serenely up at the doctor.

Shaw smiled back. "Now then Mr. Winchester."

"Call me John," he drawled.

"John. You need some rest. We will need to keep you here for another day or two. All right?" Dr. Shaw said.

"Sure thing doc," John said with a sigh.

"Well I'll let you get some sleep," Shaw said and turned to leave.

"My boys?" John asked.

"In good hands with the preacher and his son," Shaw said.

"Oh good," John said as his eyes closed. "They're safe then."

Dr. Shaw shook his head slightly then left the room and spotted Jim leaning against the wall outside John's room.

"So is your brother always this combative?" Shaw asked.

"Only when he feels he's lost control and when he can't see his sons," Jim said.

Doc nodded. "Understandable but I need to ask that you hold off on that coffee delivery for now."

Jim nodded.

"He'll be a little dopy or sleeping for a few hours. You also may want to hold off on bringing his son down for a visit until much later this afternoon," Shaw said.

"I can do that. How is he doing? Aside from what just happened," Jim asked.

"He's still draining fluid, more than what I'm comfortable with. I had planned on having a scan done, but we'll hold off on that for now," Shaw said with a sigh. "As it is now we will have to recheck the wound for infection and he may have torn his stitches."

0000000000000

Sammy stirred slightly against his brother as he slowly came awake listening to Caleb read. He tightened his hold around his brother and sighed. Dean was here. Things were fine and he was safe. Dean would look after everything.

The thirteen year old lay there contented to float between waking and sleep. It was easiest here to picture the story that Caleb was unfolding and he could easily visualize the hobbits walking through the Shire with walking sticks and packs of supplies on their backs. He almost smiled. They were lucky they had the Impala for that and he was lucky he had Dean. He snuggled closer to his brother and frowned. This was wrong. He was too old to snuggle up to his big brother. Dad had said so. His heart began to beat faster. Dean would have known he was awake by now and he should be teasing him about being so scared.

Caleb stopped reading to glance up at the boys hoping for a sign that Dean was waking up.

"Caleb?" Sam mumbled.

"I'm right here," he said softly still mindful of the boy's head injury.

"Make Dean wake up," Sam said as he turned just enough to look at him. For some strange reason he'd give anything to have Dean tease the crap out of him at the moment.

"I would if I could but Dean needs to surface on his own," Caleb said.

"No. Wake him now," Sammy said.

"He's hurt Sammy," Caleb said. "What do you need him for?"

Sammy blinked at him for a moment. "Just need him."

Caleb smiled at him. "We all want him to wake up and he will when he's ready."

Sam frowned. "But…"

Gently Caleb put a hand on the boy's head. "Whatever you need just name it."

"Dean," Sammy said.

"Sammy if I could wake Dean up I would. But I promise you he will wake up," he said and then glanced at the sixteen year old. You better not make me a liar.

Sam pursed his lips and winced as his shoulder told him in no uncertain terms that this was a bad position to be lying in. "Fix Dad?"

Caleb's eye brows rose up. "Dude do I look like a doctor?"

Sam closed his eyes. "Disobeyed an order."

"Ah. Ok. Now that I can help you with. Now go back to sleep," Caleb said.

Sammy opened his eyes. "Read some more?"

"Sure," Caleb said and waited for Sam to tuck back against Dean. He pulled the blanket up over the boy then he sat back down and began to read.

Sam struggled to keep awake but between his brother's heartbeat under his ear and Caleb's steady calm voice he fell asleep.

0000000000000

Jim was heading towards Dean's room when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket . "Jim Murphy," he answered ignoring the glare of a nurse.

"Cellular phones are not allowed in the hospital," she admonished.

"I'll be right there," he said softly and closed the phone.

"Sir you will have to turn it off," the nurse pressed.

"Of course. Sorry about that," Jim said as he turned and headed for the elevator.

0000000000000

A few chapters later Caleb looked up expecting to see another nurse but saw Dr. Ramsey instead.

"Well there is my favourite wandering patient," Dr. Ramsey said.

"Morning Doc," Caleb said as he stretched and yawned.

"Caleb. You look better today," Ramsey noted.

"Yeah. Thanks for the recommendation. That motel has to be one of the cleanest and comfortable motel's I've been in," Caleb said.

"I'm glad," the doc said.

Both men looked at Sammy as the boy mumbled in his sleep then settled.

"Did he wake up yet?" Ramsey asked.

"Yeah a little while ago but not fully," Caleb said.

Ramsey nodded and started to check Dean's file.

"I can take Sam back to his room now," Caleb offered.

Ramsey stopped scanning Dean's medical charts and looked over at the two boys. "Oh I think they're ok for now."

Caleb watched the doctor check Dean's output, the machine readings and then the doctor gently put a hand on the sixteen year olds forehead.

He gave Caleb a smile. "He feels a lot cooler today. That's a good sign."

"Yeah?" Caleb asked.

"Actually he's showing remarkable improvement since I left yesterday. His blood pressure has stabilized and his urine output is very good," Ramsey said.

"So he'll wake up soon?" Caleb asked hopefully.

"I need to run a few scans, do a few more tests," Ramsey said avoiding the question as he looked deeper through the file and frowned. "Oh."

"What is it?" Caleb asked calmly although his heart had started racing with fear.

"We just got his medical records from the hospital he was in about a week ago. Looks like the boy has a broken ankle, but as he didn't come with a cast we were unaware of the injury," Dr. Ramsey said.

"How did you miss that?" Caleb demanded.

Ramsey saw the anger for what it was - a mask for the younger man's fears. "Well he wasn't awake and honestly the main task when he was brought in was to keep him alive. Look I know it sounds odd that we would miss something like this but it's not like he could tell us and to be completely truthful he isn't feeling any pain."

Caleb sighed and put the book down on the bed. "I didn't know."

"Its not a big deal. He hasn't been all that mobile anyway. Even with Sammy here I doubt further damage has been done," Ramsey said. "Now that he's stabilized and responding well to the treatment we can move on to secondary injuries like his broken leg. We'll x-ray it and see what we're dealing with. Odds are we'll just have to re-cast it. Then you and the rest of the family can decorate it before the kid wakes up. Hey I'll even bring you some bright coloured pens."

Caleb ignored the doctor's good humour. "If there has been more damage?"

Dr. Ramsey took a slow breath, put Dean's file on the bed and crossed his arms. "Well that'll be a bit trickier. If he needs surgery then it will have to wait until he wakes up. Temporarily we could put a splint on it, monitor it like the rest of his injuries but surgery just isn't a good option right now."

"But," Caleb tried to object.

"Caleb," Dr. Ramsey said softly getting the man's attention back to the point instead of racing off on what-ifs. "Lets start with the x-ray. This boy has been through a lot. We don't need to get ahead of ourselves and see the worst in this, ok?"

Caleb took a calming breath. "Yeah ok doc," he said looking at Dean.

Ramsey picked up the file again and made a few notes in it.

"When can he be scanned so we know for sure?" Caleb asked.

"I'll order it and the portable x-ray machine will be brought here," Ramsey answered as he closed his file and looked at the two sleeping boys. "I'd like Sam moved back into his room before we do the x-ray though. I'll need some time to finish my rounds and order the scan."

"I hate to separate them," Caleb said thoughtfully.

"Me too. But I'll need to exam Sam as well. I can give you," Ramsey paused as he checked his watch. "An hour to get him awake and moving."

"I'll finish up this chapter and get him moving," Caleb said as he picked up the book.

"Well I'll see you in Sammy's room as soon as I'm finished with Dean's test," he said and then left.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: Just the usual. The characters belong to the CW, WB, Eric Kripke etc. except for the characters you don't recognize. They are mine but I'll let anyone play with them. I made no money from this.

**Author's notes**: Not much action here. Just mostly hurt Sammy and concerned everyone else. The action will in the next chapter. Is anyone missing Dean as much as I am? He will most definitely be in the next chapter and onwards.

Thanks to lynxlan and heather for their betaing services. Please read and enjoy. Let me know if you like it or hate it or are soemwhere in the middle.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 12**

As Caleb slowly walked Sam back to his room he gave his forehead a slight rub. A headache was beginning to form and he was doing his best not to lose his cool with the thirteen year old.

It had been quite the struggle moving the boy away from his big brother. All his good natured threats had done nothing to make Sammy move. When the duty nurse had threatened a completely bogus all out visitation ban the thirteen year old finally got up from the bed. Caleb knew Sammy wasn't feeling well when he missed the blatant wink and smile from Nancy.

All in all it had taken the hunter almost an hour just to get the boy up and Sammy had made it quite clear that he was not a happy at having to move.

"Caaleb," Sammy whined.

"For the last time Sammy no," he said.

"But why?" The boy asked as he stopped in front of his room.

Caleb took a deep breath and looked down at the teen. As his headache grew he decided to ignore the question that he'd gotten tired of answering. "Dude. Seriously. Don't make me pick you up, carry you like a football into that room and spike you into your bed," he almost growled his patience wearing dangerously thin.

Sam flinched slightly at the tone of his voice and looked up at the hunter. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Caleb said with his hands on his hips as he looked down at the pale thirteen year old.

Sam looked away. "Fine," he huffed pushing his IV pole in front of him. He stopped in front of his bed and glared at Caleb.

"C'mon Sammy. Just get into bed. I promise we'll go back," Caleb said pulling the sheets back.

"Now? Could we pleeease go now? Dean's alone," Sammy said giving Caleb his best puppy-eyed look that usually got him whatever he wanted. Then he winced as his head began to hurt again.

"No," Caleb said firmly. "Doc wants to see you first. Then after he's finished with you we get to go see your father."

Sam bowed his head and dropped his shoulders. He wanted to say with Dean and watch over him but there was no way Caleb was going to give in to him or leave him alone. Feeling totally defeated he got into bed.

"There now," Caleb said pulling the sheets up. "That's not so bad is it?"

Sam could feel the tears building but he tried to push them away. "Caleb?"

"Yeah?" he replied guardedly.

"Are you going to leave me alone?" Sammy asked.

"No way. You'll just pull another Houdini act. Now appearing the Amazing Vanishing Sammy Winchester," Caleb said as he dropped into another uncomfortable plastic chair.

"You'll stay when the doctor comes in?" Sammy asked not liking the tremor in his voice.

"If you want me to," Caleb said.

Sam nodded. "And with Dad?"

"I told you I'd fix that and I will," Caleb said.

Sam shifted slightly in his bed. He was so tired and he hurt. Little spikes of pain continually ran from his neck down into his shoulder, back and arm. "Promise?" he almost whispered.

Caleb sighed as he watched Sammy's eyes fill with tears. "I promise."

"I hate this," Sammy said as he cleared his throat.

"I know. What would Dean do?" Caleb asked.

Sam scrunched up his face slightly as he tried to remember. Things were clearer today but the fogginess was just around the edges and it was hard to remember stuff. "I don't know. Just stuff and he wouldn't leave me alone."

Caleb nodded. "Well I'm not Dean but I promise not to leave you alone. But only until your big brother's back on the job. Ok?"

"Ok," Sam said softly and was quiet for a few more minutes.

Caleb yawned and wondered where his father was. He could use another cup of coffee.

"Caleb?" Sam asked.

"Yeah?"

"I dreamt bad things last night," Sam said softly looking down at his blanket.

"What bad things?" Caleb asked.

"Dean got beat up until he died. I was taken away by men in suits," he whispered.

Caleb frowned and leaned forward. "Sammy your brother is not going to die."

Sam lifted watery eyes to him. "But."

"He is not going to die. Ok," he repeated sternly.

"Ok," Sam said.

"No one is taking you anywhere unless your dad, my dad or I say ok. And I can tell you right now kiddo no one is taking you from us. That clear?" Caleb said.

Sam nodded as a tear trickled down his cheek. "I don't wanna go."

"Good. Cause you're not going anywhere without me."

Sam closed his eyes and leaned back into his pillows. "Caleb my head hurts."

"Just relax buddy. You know why your head hurts," Caleb said softly.

"I'm concussed," Sam said and opened his eyes.

"Right. So you need to rest and relax. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you," Caleb said still seeing the uncertainty in the young eyes.

"But what if the doctor takes me away?" Sam asked not wanting to let it go.

"Why would I do that Sammy?" Dr. Ramsey said as he came up to the bed.

"Doctor's do that sometimes," he whispered as he looked at the doctor with wide eyes.

"Yes sometimes we do but only when we figure that it's best for the child. While you and your family lead a different type of lifestyle I can tell you are well loved and cared for. Your father has asked after you and your brother several times and even threatened to get out of bed and track you two down," Ramsey said.

Tears began to fall down Sammy's cheeks.

Caleb moved and sat down on Sam's bed gently wiping away the tears.

Sam brushed his hands away with a huff and wiped his face. But when he let his hand fall his fingers gripped the edge of Caleb's leather jacket.

Ramsey watched the silent interaction and knew his original decision had been a bit hasty when he'd first seen the boy. "Sammy you don't need to worry. I'm not taking you away from your family. In fact I'd like you to go back to your brother this afternoon. Would you like that?"

Sammy sniffed and nodded. "What about Dad?"

"Well I'd like you to hold off on seeing him for a bit. Maybe you could stop by after seeing your brother. Tell you what. They'll be bringing in lunch soon and after you eat that you can go see your brother. Just before dinner you can see your father. Ok?" Ramsey suggested.

"I can go back to Dean?" Sammy asked.

"Yes. Of course," Ramsey said.

"I'll take you back up, ok Sammy?" Caleb said.

Sam lunged up and wrapped his arms around Caleb.

"I'll take that for a yes," Ramsey said around a chuckle.

"Ok kiddo," Caleb said softly as he rubbed a hand up and down the thirteen year olds back. He glanced up at Ramsey. "He's usually not so teary or cuddly."

"Well actually I see that often with a concussion. It's an understandable reaction with kids when their family is hurt. Sometimes they need more reassurance in times like this," Ramsey said quietly. "I think I'd be more concerned if he shut down completely. That's a bit more scary and troubling to watch."

Caleb nodded knowing that Sam had a penance to do just that. The silent treatment the boy sometimes fell into was troubling to them all.

"All right," Ramsey said. "Let's take a look."

Caleb began to pull Sam back.

"Actually just keep him there," he said. "Sam I'm just going to check your shoulder. Relax and lean against Caleb. This shouldn't take long."

Caleb watched the doctor as he moved closer to them. He reached out and touched the base of Sam's neck, then touched the shoulder joint and clavicle. He could feel Sam jump slightly with every soft touch.

Ramsey looked up at Caleb and frowned. "Sit up a bit and hold him around his waist," the doctor whispered.

Caleb moved his arm and swallowed heavily. He knew what was going to happen next wouldn't be comfortable. He shook his head at the doctor. "Easy Sammy. Just relax kiddo," he said softly and when the felt the boy relax again he nodded minutely at the doctor.

With an apologetic look the doctor placed his hand at the base of Sam's neck and shoulder and shoved down hard.

A loud crack noise was heard mixed in with Sam's yell of pain into Caleb's chest.

"It's in now," Ramsey said a little pale himself.

Caleb nodded. "All right Sammy. It's ok. Your shoulder's back into place now," he whispered into the boy's hair.

Sam whimpered and cried softly. Pain radiated now through his arm, neck, shoulders and down through is back. But the longer he sat curled into Caleb the more the pain lessened.

A few minutes later Ramsey was making notes in Sam's file and the thirteen year old was lying on his side with his eyes closed. Caleb was still sitting on the corner of the bed alternating between running his hand through Sam's hair and watching the doctor.

Ramsey felt the man's eyes on him but didn't look up. "Sam's fine. I'm going to keep him for another night. That's the second time his shoulder has been moved into place and I want to make sure it stays there. I'll be back to check on him later tonight. Having the shoulder out of place would have just agitated the headache from the concussion. Should be fine now, but I want to be sure. I could release him but I'd like to keep him here one more day just to be sure."

"All right doc. Whatever you think he needs. What about Dean?" Caleb asked.

"When I left the x-ray was just being taken but the break is still the least of our worries. The boy is going to be here for a while. He is improving rapidly, so much that it's surprising to me. I've never seen anyone recuperate this quickly. I think that having his little brother around is helping him," Ramsey said with a shrug. "But I have no proof of that. At the very least the boy is fighting very hard to survive."

"Thanks Doc," Caleb said.

Ramsey nodded. "Whenever Sammy's up to it he can go back to Dean. I'll see you later."

Sam fell asleep shortly after the doctor had wrenched his shoulder back into place.

A short while later Pastor Jim came into the room with a tray of coffee and a bag of fast food.

"Great I'm starving," Caleb said as he grabbed the bag of food and fished out a burger. "Where've you been anyway?"

"Had a bit of a problem with the motel and had to find a new one," Jim said softly.

"I thought you paid cash," Caleb said.

"Oh that wasn't the problem. They had a fire and the fire department's ordered it closed for the time being," Jim said. "Luckily the fire wasn't near our suite, but our stuff smells a bit smoky."

Caleb sighed. "This just gets better and better."

"Could've been worse son," Jim countered. "No one was hurt."

"So where are we staying now?" Caleb asked.

"Just a different motel," Jim said. "Eat your burger before it gets cold."

Caleb took a moment and unwrapped his burger and took a small bite. He chased it down with a bit of coffee then looked at his father. "How was John? I haven't made it down to see him yet."

Jim took a bite of his burger to forestall answering the question.

"Caleb?" Sam mumbled.

"Still here kiddo," Caleb said.

"Want Dean," he said with his eyes closed.

"How's your headache?" Caleb asked.

"Gone," Sam mumbled into his pillow.

"Ok well then get up and we'll go see Dean," Caleb said.

Sam mumbled something then went back to sleep.

0000000000000

Two hours later Caleb was slouched down asleep in his chair with his feet resting on Sam's bed. Jim was working on the crossword puzzle from his morning paper.

Sam shifted onto his back and blinked bleary eyes at his visitors.

"Hey Sammy," Jim said looking up from his paper.

Sam said nothing just looked between Caleb and Jim.

Jim smiled and gave his son a nudge.

"I'm up," Caleb said as his feet fell to the floor and he straightened up. "Oh hey Sammy. You're up. We can go see your Dad and Dean."

"No," Sammy said.

"Why's that?" Jim asked.

"They can come to me," Sammy said. "Tired."

Caleb smiled. "Little difficult for them to do in their current state buddy."

"Why don't we check in with your dad?" Jim said.

Sam shook his head back and forth on the pillow then closed his eyes.

"Sammy look at me," Jim said.

Reluctantly Sammy opened his eyes and looked at Jim.

"Your father needs to know how you're doing just as much as you want to see Dean," Jim said. "Why don't we go see your father for a few minutes and then we can go see your brother."

"Caleb," Sammy said looking at him.

"Yeah squirt I remember. Just stay behind me until I can calm him down," he said then stood up with a loud yawn and stretch.

Sam sighed heavily but pushed off the blankets and slowly sat up holding his sore shoulder with his good hand. He shivered noticeably and looked at Caleb.

"Cold Sammy?" Caleb asked.

Sammy nodded.

Caleb fished in the backpack he'd brought in with him that morning and pulled out a sweatshirt. "Put this on," he said as he handed it to Sammy.

Sam took it and pulled it over his head. Struggling slightly Jim helped him to straightened it and put his uninjured arm through the sleeve. "Dean's," he said softly as he looked down at the worn material.

"Yeah. Didn't think he'd mind if you borrowed it for a little bit," Caleb said.

"Yes he will," Sammy said as he looked up at Caleb and Jim with a small smile. "I'll have to do his laundry for a month now."

"Let's go," Jim said.

They flanked the teenager all the way to John's room. Sammy slowed as he neared the door and glanced uncertainly at Caleb.

"He's not going to kill you. He's just worried about you," Caleb said.

"Kay. But if you're wrong you get to explain to Dean why I died in his sweatshirt while he was sleeping," Sammy said.

"Don't be silly. Now get in there," Jim said giving him a gentle nudge.

Caleb walked into the room. "John," he said.

Sam came in and stopped next to Caleb looking at the floor.

John nodded at Caleb's greeting but didn't look at him. "Sammy? You all right son?"

"Yes sir," he said quietly.

"Good," John said.

"Dr. Ramsey checked in on him earlier and he wants Sam to stay tonight. They'll probably release him tomorrow," Caleb said.

"He say why?" John asked still watching his son.

"Doc had to put Sammy's shoulder back into place again. Just wants to check on it tomorrow and make sure it stays put before releasing him. Isn't that right Sammy?" Caleb asked putting a hand on the boy's back.

"Yeah," Sammy said.

"Sammy?" John asked.

The thirteen year old looked up at his dad through his bangs then quickly averted his gaze back to the floor.

"Would you mind giving me a few minutes with Sam," John said.

Sam shifted slightly closer to Caleb.

"Now," John said.

"We'll be right outside Sam," Jim said.

Caleb hesitated for a moment. "John before I go just remember the boy's got a concussion."

"I'm well aware of his condition Caleb," John said calmly.

"And you know that Dean usually looks after him especially when he's concussed," Caleb continued.

"Yes Caleb I know now get out," John said.

Caleb looked down at Sam. "I'll be right outside the door. When you're dad's done with you we'll go see Dean."

"Caleb," John said with a warning note in his voice.

Caleb glanced up at John. "Be nice," he said then turned and walked out of the room.

John watched him go then looked at his son. "Sam look at me."

Sammy swallowed heavily then looked at his father.

John gave him a good once over and knew his youngest son still wasn't well. "You still have a headache."

It was a statement; not a question but Sam confirmed it anyway. "Yes sir."

"Then why tell me you are fine?" He asked softly.

"I can handle it sir," Sammy said quickly.

John nodded. "You disobeyed a direct order."

"Yes sir," Sam said then looked at his father in earnest. "Dean was alone and I thought he was dying and I needed to see him and I was all fuzzy and nothing made sense and."

John held up a hand to stop the avalanche of words falling out of Sam. "Ok. Now I'm guessing that even though today is better things till feel... off?"

"Yeah," Sam said softly.

John sighed. "Sam, Dean is very sick. Even when he wakes up he'll still be very sick. We'll be here for some time yet," he cautioned.

Sam frowned. "But he'll get better. Everyone keeps saying so."

"Yes he will. Just try to stay in your own bed and stay out of the doctor's way. Sammy you may be hurting Dean when you stay with him and he can't speak for himself right now."

Sam blinked at the words. He didn't want to hurt his brother. He actually thought he had been helping on some level. Yes it was comforting to be near his brother when he wasn't feeling well but he had thought that his brother would have known he was there regardless of how he was feeling. Dean always knew where he was. He hadn't thought that he could have been hurting him.

"Sammy?" John said.

Sammy looked back at his father and tensed as he waited for the yelling to begin.

"Ok Sam?" John asked.

"Yes sir," Sammy said.

"Good. I'll get Ramsey to release you to Caleb tomorrow," John said.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Unless you prefer someone else?" John asked with a smile.

"No," Sammy said.

"Then yeah Caleb. You will mind Caleb and Jim as if it were me and Dean. You will visit only during visiting hours and you will not stay late or ask to stay late. Am I understood?" John said sternly.

Sam nodded.

"Good. Now go see Dean and get Jim to bring me a cup of caffeine. I want to see you after Ramsey releases you, OK?" John said.

"Um dad? What about you?" Sam asked quietly.

"What about me?" John asked.

"Your chest," Sammy said gesturing to John's injury.

"It'll be fine Sammy. Doc might take the tube out tomorrow. I'm ok," he said.

Sam gave him a disbelieving look and moved closer to him. "When will you be ok?" He pressed.

"Soon," John said.

"Dean needs you too," Sammy said softly.

"I know son," John said.

"We shouldn't have left him," Sammy said and he felt tears prickle his eyes.

"Sam stop it. Dean will be fine," John said.

Sam moved forward again so he was right next to his father and ignored the finality of his tone. "But you haven't seen him. He's hooked up to so many machines," he whispered.

John took a firm hold of Sam's bicep. "Your big brother is tough. He's fighting hard to get better. How many times to you need to hear that?"

Sam shrugged and leaned towards his father's grip while his hand toyed with the blanket coving his father. "I need him to wake up."

"Damnit Sammy," John said with a heavy sigh. "You need to be able to take care of yourself."

Sammy's vision swam slightly as tears pooled in his eyes and then tracked down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he whispered, yanked himself out his father's grasp and hurried out of the room.

"There you are," Caleb said as Sam walked towards them. "Ready to see Dean now?"

Sam didn't reply just walked past them and out of the ward. He didn't look back to see if the men were following him. In fact he really didn't care either way. Keeping his lead low he followed the line on the floor that would lead him to his brother.

Stepping through the doors into PICU he didn't hear any of the friendly hello's that came from the nursing staff and he didn't see Ramsey walking towards him. He just kept moving until he reached his big brother.

He made it to the side of the bed and then stopped. Sam looked at his brother as the machine breathed for him and the heart monitor beeped out the heart rate. Reaching out with a shaky hand he almost touched his brother but pulled back suddenly doubtful of his presence here. He should be watching over and protecting Dean giving him comfort any way he could. Instead he wanted to curl into him and the protection that had always been there for longer than he could remember.

Shaking his head he took a step back from the bed. Dad was right. He was weak. being weak would get them all killed. Dean didn't need him, just the opposite.

He took another step back. His head throbbed and his shoulder hurt but he had to figure out what to do. Did he stay or did he go back to his room? He didn't want to hurt Dean anymore. Another step back had him standing at the wall and he slid down it slowly.

"Sammy?" Dr. Ramsey said as he watched the boy curl into a ball at the far end of the room.

Sammy didn't show any signs of hearing him; he just kept staring at his brother.

Ramsey held his hand out to stop Jim and Caleb fro coming farther into the room. He walked over to the boy and knelt beside him. "Hey buddy."

Sammy sniffed and more tears fell but he still didn't respond.

Ramsey sat on the floor next to the boy. "I know that all of this is really scary. But I have good news. We're going to begin to slowly stop Dean's meds that are keeping him asleep so he can wake up."

Sam leaned his head back against the wall. He was exhausted. He was confused. He hurt and wanted to run away from all of this. But he couldn't leave his brother. His breath hitched in his chest and he winced at the tremor it sent through his body.

The doctor didn't know what else to say so he just sat there keeping the boy company for a moment. "You know, Sammy, things may seem all wrong now but they will get better. It's good that you're here for your brother."

Sam flinched slightly at the words. How could the doctor think that when it was because he'd done everything wrong on the initial hunt that led to Dean being here? He shivered as he suddenly found himself staring at a poltergeist with rotted flesh, broken bone and a terrible stench.

TBC


	13. Flashback

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything you recognize below they belong to the CW, WB, Eric Kripke and all.

**Author's notes: **Slight time shift below. It doesn't start out exactly where the last chapter ended, but fairly close to it. Just a reminder that the sequence in Chapter 2 was a dream sequence and not really what happened on the original hunt. This is a flashback to that hunt. I had some difficulty writing this chapter and I think it shows. Hopefully not too badly. And theres some slight language.

Oh and Sam references a hunt with Bezerkers. That's a reference to a story I wrote a while back called Casualties, but it isn't necessary to read that to understand what's going on. There is as light error in that story. Dean was meant to be 14 but I made a typo and made him 16. That will be changing as soon as I finish this story.

Oh and Dean will be waking up, I swear. Just not in this chapter. That begins in chapter 14 and POV will swing back to where it's supposed to be - with Dean.

Thanks out to lynxlan and Heather for the betas.

Happy Halloween everyone. Enjoy.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 13**

**By infinite shadow**

"Sammy?" Dr. Ramsey asked softly as he gently placed a hand on the top of the boy's head.

Sammy didn't respond to the doctor's words or movements. His eyes were wide, unblinking, as he let out little whimpers of fear and trembled.

Caleb approached cautiously hoping not to spook Sammy any more than he already was. He glanced at the doctor and saw the worry etched on his face.

Jim paused next to his son. "Sammy?" He said going down on one knee in front of the thirteen year old.

There was no response to the pastor's words, just an unblinking empty stare in return.

"Can you hear us?" Jim asked and watched an errant tear slip down Sammy's cheek.

Ramsey looked at the pastor. "What happened?"

"We don't know," Caleb said then sat down next to the boy. "Dad, would you go find out what John said to him?"

Jim placed the back of his hand against Sammy's cool cheek and gently wiped away the tear. "Come back to us my boy," he said just above a whisper. Then he stood up and hurried out of the room.

Ramsey sat there for a moment with his patient shaking next to him. This was a completely unexpected turn of events and he silently went through several possible reasons why the boy was behaving this way. His father had a particularly rough job. This could no doubt be stressful on the boy, or both boys. To what extent through as this reaction was rather extreme. Then again how many times had the boy been through something like this? Or more accurately how many times had he been through something this stressful without his brother to share the burden?

Both men looked up in surprise as Dean's heart monitor shrilled in alarm.

Ramsey scrambled to his feet and rushed over to his other patient. He swore softly as he snapped off the alarm. He always hated the sound of those things.

Caleb put an arm around Sammy and shifted a bit closer. "Sammy it's me, Caleb. I'm here. Everything's going to be ok," he said softly then looked up as a nurse rushed into the room.

Nurse Nancy assisted Dr. Ramsey in his assessment of his patient. After a few tense moments he thanked the nurse and sent her away.

Caleb swallowed heavily and barely breathed as he waited on the Doctor's report.

Making one final adjustment Ramsey sighed. He turned and looked at Caleb. "He's all right. His heart rate is up a little but not enough to be concerned over."

Caleb suppressed a shudder and rested his cheek against Sammy's hair. "Fight it Sammy. You don't need to be alone," he whispered.

When Ramsey was certain that Dean was all right for the time being he went over to the other man. He was still completely lost at Sam's distress. Earlier in the day he couldn't wait to see his brother and now he was on the floor consumed by fear. It just didn't make any sense unless …

Caleb glanced up at him as the doctor came towards him then turned his attention back to Sammy.

Ramsey stopped in front of them, crossed his arms and cleared his throat quietly. "Has he done this before?"

Caleb hesitated as he chewed on his lower lip for a minute before he nodded. "When he was really little, before he'd started school, John would leave the boys with us. You know to keep them safe while he hunted down dangerous criminals. Sometimes it didn't seem to even faze him that John was gone. But other times," he said and faltered.

"Yes?" Ramsey prompted.

"When he did notice that his father was gone there were no tears or tantrums. Just a slow shutting down as he folded in on himself," Caleb said quietly. "The only one who could come close to snapping him out of it was Dean. Even then he wouldn't totally come out of it until John returned. But I never saw him go inward this quick or deep. He was always responsive even if he didn't react or speak. He would follow direction or do what was asked of him."

"How so?" Ramsey pressed. He had to find something to break the boy out of this.

"It was eerie. Almost like someone else was controlling him. It was Sammy but without him. His eyes were empty, without his usual spark of mischief or excitement," Caleb sighed heavily as he shook his head. It was all coming out wrong. "You've not seen Sammy when he's well. He's got bundles upon bundles of energy. He keeps Dean busy by getting into mischief and always questioning something. Always asking why or how come. It amazes me the reasons and answers that Dean comes up with for him. And it's always enough, you know. "

Ramsey smiled. "Big brother is always right?"

"Yeah. Exactly," Caleb said.

"How about when he got older?" Ramsey asked.

Caleb frowned. "No, not really. I've seen him curl into himself a time or two, but not nearly as much as when he was a child. Once in a while when he's not feeling well, like with a cold, or when his family is hurt. Mostly it's when he's trying to figure out a problem and it's a little beyond him."

"And to get him out of it?" Ramsey asked but already knowing the answer.

"Dean," Caleb said simply. "A little nudging, a little teasing and Sammy snaps right out of it. None of us, no matter how we've tried, have ever gotten him to come out of it like his brother does."

"So he does come out of it," Ramsey said.

"Oh yeah," Caleb said with a nod and ran his hand through Sammy's hair. "Eventually."

0000000000000

Sammy watched his big brother and father walk down the hallway until they disappeared into different rooms. He turned and went into the kitchen intent on his task.

They were looking for an opal necklace that was supposedly keeping the spirit trapped in this world. Sam didn't really get it; he'd researched and been sure that the woman hadn't died when the house burned down. But he'd been overruled by both Dad and Dean. So here they were looking for a stupid piece of jewellery.

He searched half heartedly through cupboards, drawers, nooks and crannies. Nothing. Strike one as Dean was currently fond of saying.

Opening a door he found a walk in panty. Cautiously he entered the small space, checked the shelves, stomped on the floor and knocked on the walls. Strike two.

As he closed the door he sighed. He always figured hunting would be more fun. Dean could always spin a good tale. But so far almost all of his hunts had been boring, if you didn't count the berserker that had torn his family to tatters. Looking through someone's home was just downright boring.

He'd rather be doing his homework or research. He'd love to be reading a thick dusty hundred year old book in Pastor Jim's study right now instead of being stuck here.

Sighing again he went through a door and found himself in the dining room. He took a moment to look around the room. The house itself was quite old having been rebuilt after the fire in 1907. Many modern conveniences were added to it slowly over time. Like electricity and central heating.

To his right was an open door through which he could see the hallway Dean and his Dad had gone down earlier. One large dining table ran the length of the room with seating for eight. Two china cabinets full of china, a tea caddy filled with liquor, two large chests nestled under the big picture window, art work lined the open wall space and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. On the far wall was a fireplace made of different colour stone and masonry with a mantle.

He started with the china cabinets and the drink dray. He was just straitening up when he heard a gunshot blast in the distance. He sped up his search.

Normally he'd be careful not to break anything. After all people lived here and valued the trinkets and clutter. Knowing trouble had found his family he wrenched open the top of one chest allowing the trinkets to smash to the floor.

Sam ripped out the linens, candlesticks and candles. A few etched glasses were grabbed and he threw them to the side. When it was empty he moved to the next chest and repeated his movements.

As he yanked out the last piece of linen the temperature in the room dropped drastically. Goosebumps rose on his skin, he shivered and his breath fogged as he exhaled.

The art work fell from the wall. Glass shattered from the picture frames. The debris rose and hovered for a moment. Just long enough for Sam's eyes to widen before the shards hurled themselves in his direction.

Sam dropped to the ground and avoided most of it. A sliver of glass caught his arm and tore his flesh from wrist to elbow.

He gave a soft gasp at the pain and felt warmth trickle down his arm. Wincing he tried to clamp his hand over the wound to stop the bleeding but found the gash was too long.

The air was suddenly thick with an ungodly stench and he gagged on the smell. Hunching slightly as he cradled his hurt arm to his chest he glanced up and swallowed heavily.

There, hovering just a few feet away from him was a half decomposed spirit. Her face partly broken, her hair stringy and dirty, and her gown was thread bear and torn. Her partly rotted flesh was covered in numerous cuts and greyish blood trickled down her body to pool on the floor below her.

Sam swallowed heavily as she smiled at him and maggots spilled from her mouth.

Sam gagged again as he pulled the gun from the small of his back. Before he could bring it to bear, the weapon was torn from his grasp and fired as it hit one of the china cabinets.

He heard his brother and father shout his name. He wanted to shout back, to get them here faster, but he found himself flung up to the ceiling. His head rung on impact, his vision swam with tears and a sharp pain crossed his forehead.

He blinked several times as he tried to clear his vision. It was hard to breathe. It felt as if an anvil was behind him trying to force him through the ceiling. As he fought for breath his hands flung out. One hit the ceiling and the other caught in the chandelier.

He clenched his fist and part of the glass pieces came away. He struggled to get his hand out of the light fixture but he couldn't seem to manage it.

He heard Dean scream his name again accompanied by heavy footfalls coming closer. Relief filled him as he knew his family was coming to his aid.

Suddenly he dropped from the ceiling. Nausea rose in his throat and he felt like he'd left his stomach behind. Squeezing his eyes closed he almost hit the floor before he was flipped around in the air. He hit the ceiling once again before he was twisted around sharply before he came to an abrupt stop. He groaned and swallowed heavily trying to get his bearings.

Cautiously he opened his eyes and found that he was hanging upside down in the middle of the room. Right above the dining room table and below the chandelier.

He heard the dining room door slam close and all hope fled. The ghost wasn't going to let his family in.

There was an explosion of gunfire and the door splintered. His father and brother ran into the room emerging through the smoke as if by magic.

Sam could only stare wide eyed at their entrance. His head itched as he felt blood trickle down his forehead to his eye and then dripped onto his cheek.

"Trying out for the circus?" Dean asked as he moved towards his brother.

Sammy's mouth twitched but no sound came out.

Dean frowned in concern. "Sammy? You hurt?"

The younger brother shook his head.

"Sammy?" John asked as he looked around the room looking for the ghost.

"I'm ok. Just can't get down," Sam said quickly. "She's here."

Dean flashed him a smile. "Sure is. Dad and I have already done two rounds with the bitch."

"Find it?" John asked as he rested his shot gun on his shoulder and pulled a hand gun out of the small of his back.

"No sir," Sam said his eyes not leaving his big brother and saw his condition. His cheek was swollen and a bruise was already showing. His hands had been scraped raw in places.

"Then what's wrapped around your hand?" Dean asked.

Sam frowned at his brother knowing he could tell the difference between glass bobbles from the chandelier and opals. Maybe he'd hit his head too. "Dean," he said then winced at the tremor in his voice.

Dean hopped up onto the table and patted his brother on his arm. "Easy Sammy," he said just loud enough for his little brother to hear.

"G-get me down!" he said. His head was throbbing now and all he really cared about was not breaking his neck on the table on the way down.

"All right. All right. Geesh. Always the hysterical drama queen. Next year you should try out or the school play instead of soccer," Dean teased then frowned.

"Shut up," Sam shot back.

"Dean?" John asked calmly still scanning the room for danger.

"Just a sec," Dean said as he reached up to untangle his brother's legs from the light fixture. He barely brushed the glass pieces making the fixture swing slightly. It swung clear of his brother's legs and Sammy still hung there.

"Dean," John said again this time with a slight edge to his voice.

"Crap," Dean muttered to himself. Before he could tell his father that the spirit had his baby brother in its clutches it announced itself.

"Revenge is at hand," the spirit smiled as it appeared just inches from Dean.

Dean glanced in the direction of the voice and spotted the spirit. He watched as small white wiggling grubs fell from her rotting mouth. "Now that's just gross."

John fired and the ghost disappeared.

Dean flinched slightly from the retort and the bullet that whizzed so close to him he could feel it.

Sam squeaked as he dropped a few inches then stopped. "DEAN!"

The ghost appeared again and John flew back into the mantle of the fireplace.

"DAD!" Both boys shouted at the same time.

John groaned softly as he slumped to the floor stunned. Blood streamed from a gash on his forehead and his lip had an open cut on it. Only his tenacity kept him barely clinging to consciousness.

"Unfaithful you said! Town whore you accused!" The spirit wailed in sorrow and anger.

Sam screamed as three gashes tore over his face as if someone had raked their finger nails over it. "I'm not Dalton Pryce!" He shouted splattering Dean's shirt with blood.

"Dean, the necklace," John slurred struggling to reach full consciousness.

Dean turned yanked the necklace from his brother's hand and dropped them to the floor.

"Hey bitch," John shouted.

With her back to the eldest hunter she slowly turned her head one hundred and eighty degrees to look at him.

"You picked the wrong family to mess with," he drawled with a grin.

A gun shot rang out as Dean opened fire on the necklace. The pieces shattered sending slivers and chunks of the precious stone across the room.

A tortured scream rent the air and the ghost vanished.

"DEAN!" Sam yelled with his arms flailing as he began to fall.

Dean twisted and caught his brother as he fell. The weight knocked him off balance and they tumbled off the table. He tried to tuck and roll as he'd been taught. The movement ingrained so much it was like second nature. However he had not done the movement while holding onto his kid brother before. Instead Sammy's head hit the table before they hit the floor hard.

Dean yelled out in pain as his ankle hit the floor first and took both of their weights. A large crack echoed through the room as the boys rolled over a couple of times before eventually coming to a stop.

Sammy came to a stop with his head across his brother's chest. He lay there for a moment with his head pounding. The room continued to spin around him even though they'd stopped.

Dean breathed in ragged breaths and his hands never lost their hold on his brother's shirt. He clenched them tighter as he tried to get past the pain shooting from his foot up his leg. "Sammy," he whispered.

"Dean?" Sam said looking down into his brother's pain filled face.

"You boys ok?" John asked as he struggled to stand and get to them.

"Get off me Sammy," Dean said through clenched teeth.

Sammy slowly moved rolled off his brother and onto his back. The floor was cold beneath him and he blinked as his father knelt next to both of them.

"Dean?" John said again. "Open your eyes son. Where does it hurt the most?"

"Dean?" Sammy said and turned his head to the side. His brother's face was the colour of ash, sweat poured off his forehead and he could see the muscles bulge in his throat as he tried to deal with the pain.

John did a cursory medical check of his son. He ran his hands over his head, neck arms, chest, and down his legs.

Dean let go a blood curdling scream as John touched his lower leg before passing out.

"Dean?" Sammy whimpered as he felt an arm tighten on him. He felt safe but his heart sank as he knew it wasn't Dean's arm around him. "C-Caleb?"

"I'm here little man," Caleb said softly.

Sammy curled into the older man's side shaking with residual fear from his flashback.

Caleb murmured words meant to comfort him but Sam couldn't hear them. As he nestled into the protection and safely of his adoptive big brother, he looked over his shoulder at Dean.

Ramsey had gone back to hovering over the sixteen year old.

"Sammy what happened?" Caleb asked.

Sam saw the doctor look over and he moved his face into Caleb's chest. He shook his head.

"Well I have a few things to do. I'll be back to check on the boys in a little bit," Ramsey said then left to give them some privacy.

After a few minutes Sam shifted against Caleb. He leaned against him and stared at his big brother. He shuddered at the sight of the machinery helping keep Dean alive but he couldn't look away.

"Sammy?" Caleb said. "Come on buddy. Talk to me."

The traumatized thirteen year old shifted again reaching out with a shaking hand to take a handful of Caleb's shirt in his hand. Then in a voice barely above a whisper Sammy told Caleb about the hunt. He stuttered and faltered over a few words. Silent unnoticed tears made tracks down his cheek as he spoke. He told Caleb everything up to when they left Dean alone in the broken down house.

Caleb didn't try to interrupt or stop him. He let the boy talk until he finished.

"It's my fault. I hurt him," Sammy whispered then sniffed. "He always gets hurt cause of me."

"Sammy," Caleb said softly when he realized the boy wasn't going to say anything else. "It's not your fault."

"How can you say that?" Sammy asked.

Caleb smiled slightly. The kid just didn't get it. "Dean protects you. It's just what he does, just like you look out for him."

The boy shook his head. "He always gets hurt cause I don't pay attention."

"Sammy," Caleb started but stopped as he saw his father stalk into the room.

Jim looked over to the boys as he sat down in a chair next to Dean. He rubbed his hand over his face to try and calm down. He'd been pacing the corridors trying to cool off but his anger burned brightly and it would not be doused.

"Dad?" Caleb said softly.

"John's lucky I'm a man of God," Jim ground out. "He had the audacity to tell Sammy that all he's doing is hurting his brother. God all mighty. That man."

Caleb winced slightly as he watched his father clamp his jaw shut to not say another bad thing. His father had a boat load of patience as Caleb well knew. But once you'd pushed enough to use it up, the man had a fiery temper. Being on the receiving end numerous times Caleb was sure it would give hell a run for its money.

Sam shook harder at the intensity of the words. He couldn't seem to shake the fear like he usually did. He desperately needed his brother to crack a joke, call him a girl or a princess. He feared his brother would never wake again. He'd never hear Dean's voice, or hear him weave a story in the dark to help him go to sleep.

Caleb looked down as Sammy shook harder and gave a small whimper. The boy looked much younger than his thirteen years. There were dark black bags under his eyes and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He knew he had to get the boy off the floor, get him to lie down and get some sleep.

"Come on Sammy," Caleb said softly as he got to his feet.

Sam broke his gaze away from his brother to the man now towering over him.

Caleb reached down and lifted Sammy to his feet; then walked him over to his brother's bed.

"No Caleb," Sammy whispered and tried to take a step back.

Ramsey came back into the room with a blanket in his hand. He'd brought a syringe with a little something to knock the boy out. He didn't want to use it, but wanted to have it just in case. He stopped two steps into the room and watched.

Caleb sat down in a chair and put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I don't know how much plainer I can make this. Dean needs you. He needs to know that you're here with him."

Sammy shook his head.

"You're father was wrong Sam," Jim said. "Staying with your brother is helping him, not hurting him."

"N-no," Sammy said.

"Dean would do anything for you," Caleb said. "The least you can do is return the favour. Let him know you're here."

Sammy looked at Dr. Ramsey hoping the man would send him back to his room.

"I agree. Dean's made the best progress while you've been with him. In fact you both have done better while together," Ramsey said softly. "I'd like you to stay with him tonight."

Sam looked at each adult in turn and knew he had no choice. Reluctantly he climbed onto the bed and lay next to his brother. Carefully he put his head on his brother's chest.

"I'm here Dean," He said softly.

Ramsey gave Caleb the blanket.

Caleb nodded his thanks to the doctor before covering Sammy with it. He was surprised when the boy grabbed his arm.

"Stay?" Sammy asked.

Caleb looked over at Ramsey.

"Normally we don't allow it but I'll make an exception in this case," he said with a slight grin. Who knows where the kid would end up if left to his own devices.

Sam looked back at Caleb. "Don't let me hurt him. Please Caleb."

Caleb nodded and swallowed hard at the plea in the teen's voice. "I won't. Promise."

Sam nodded and closed his eyes. In moments he was asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to the Supernatural TV show. It is owned by the CW, WB, Eric Kripke and everyone else who owns it. No infringement is intended and no Winchesters were actually hurt in the writing of this story.

**Author's Notes**: Thanks out to my great supportive betas lynxlan and Heather.

As promised this is the chapter that Dean wakes up in. But I made the promise a little early. So this is one long chapter as I really didn't want to split it up. About double the size as normal, hopefully worth the wait.

A little heads up for later on in the chapter. Dean can't speak so all of his thoughts and stuff are in italics.

Now on with the story.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 14**

Jim yawned as he entered the hospital cafeteria. He needed a good strong cup of caffeine.A little something to get him through another day of scared boys and scared adults. Comforting friends and family should have been easy for the pastor. After all it was part of his job description. But this... This wasn't something he ever wanted to go through. Not this time, and never again. It was with a heavy heart that he figured this was only one of the many times to come that he would be watching over the Winchester family as they recovered.

He took a take out cup, placed it under the nozzle and pulled the little handle down. Staring a little forlornly at the sludge that poured out of the container, he wistfully thought about the coffee Sarah made at the church. Heaven in a cup he had told her on many occasions.

Taking the now full cup from the holder he stared into the sludge. The dark liquid looked like an oil spill had happened on the surface.

"It's not so bad you know," Dr Ramsey said as he began pouring his own cup. "After a few sips your taste buds go numb and you can't tell how horrific it is."

Jim gave him a side long glance then looked back into his coffee. Maybe he should consider turning to tea. He put down the cup onto a tray and filled a second cup.

"Two cups could be suicidal," Ramsey said with a grin.

"I take coffee into Sammy's room without one for Caleb and I'll be next getting patched up," Jim said. "No matter how bad it is."

Dr. Ramsey chuckled as the men made their way to the cashier. They paid and the pastor headed for the door.

"Ah Jim care to sit with me for a moment? I think we need to talk for a moment," Ramsey said softly.

Jim turned back and the heat of the coffee began to burn his fingers. "Sure."

Ramsey walked to a table well away from the few folks in the large open room.

Jim took the seat that would allow him to see the windows and doors. A habit he hadn't been able to shake since learning all about the demons and monsters he and his family hunted. "What's on your mind doctor?" Jim asked to get the ball rolling.

"A few things, but mostly the Winchesters," Ramsey said then took a sip of his coffee. "God that's truly terrible this morning."

Jim glanced down at his coffee cup. He couldn't see the liquid anymore. It had been hidden under a white plastic lid and he thought he preferred it that way.

"I had a long conversation last night with Caleb," Dr. Ramsey said.

"Oh? What about?" Jim asked unconcerned. Caleb was more than able to handle himself with anyone.

"We spoke about many things. John for one," Dr. Ramsey answered.

Jim's eyes come up and met the doctors. "Look doctor John hasn't really been himself."

Ramsey held up a hand. "Before you draw the wrong conclusion this isn't about child services. Not at all."

"Then what is it about?" Jim asked as he sat up in his seat.

"Caleb also told me that John hadn't been himself. Sammy's reaction yesterday had me wondering about John's reaction to his son's distress," Ramsey said. "When your son confirmed my suspicions about John's behaviour I went and spoke with Dr. Shaw this morning."

"John's doctor? What does he have to do with any of this?" Jim asked confused as to where this was going.

"We reviewed John's medications. All of them have a list a mile long of possible reactions. One of them is increased aggression," Ramsey said. "We've already switched him to another medication, one that will not have that as a reaction."

Jim was quiet as he processed the information. He ran a finger over the top of his cup. "He had a concussion. I thought that was the reason behind his behaviour."

Ramsey nodded. "Yes Dr. Shaw believed that as well. But it could have easily added to the aggression."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you looked into it. What made you push the issue? John's not even your patient," Jim said.

"Sammy," Dr. Ramsey said then sighed heavily. "I still don't get all of what happened yesterday but I got the sense from all of you that John's behaviour was off. I saw Sammy walk into his brother's room completely devastated and I just couldn't let it go."

"I'm glad you looked into it. I couldn't see past the concussion but I should have," Jim said.

"It's a hard call. Even for us," Ramsey admitted. "Dr. Shaw had already left for the night so I took the liberty of cutting down on all of his meds except for the morphine. It was a long shot, and at the time I wasn't totally sure it was the correct decision."

"Sometimes you just need to follow your heart," Jim said.

"Very poetic pastor," Ramsey returned with a smile. "Here we call it following our gut."

Jim smiled slightly and nodded.

"John needs to be well enough to see his children," the doctor said softly. "Those boys will need him."

Jim frowned at Ramsey. The words had been spoken calmly but they sent chills down his back. "What haven't you told me?"

Ramsey sighed heavily. "Dean's healed enough to wake up. So last night we eased up on his meds that have been keeping him asleep. We will continue to do so until he is ready to wake fully."

"Well that's good news, isn't it?" Jim asked perplexed by doctor's behaviour.

"Well yes. It's very good news. The issue here is that Dean's dependant on the machine to breathe for him. We can't just yank out the tubing and expect him to be ok. It needs to be done in stages. His breathing needs to be tested, his lungs challenged."

"Ok," Jim said to show he was listening but still confused slightly.

Ramsey shook his head. The pastor just didn't get it and he hated the entire process of what was about to happen. "Dean will need to wake slowly and continue to use the respirator," he said and paused as he saw comprehension in the other man's eyes.

"He won't know what's happening. He'll fight," he cautioned.

"Yes. All patients will. Most panic and try to rip out the tubing which we cannot allow," the doctor said and then took a hasty sip of his coffee as his pager went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it.

"He'll still be sedated to a point," Jim said.

Ramsey put down his pager and looked down into his coffee carefully weighing his words before he responded.

"Right?" Jim prompted

"To a point yes. But he'll be awake enough to fight. He'll," Ramsey paused to clear his throat. "He'll need to be restrained."

"W-WHAT?" Jim sputtered.

The few other patrons in the cafeteria stopped what they were doing and looked over at them.

"I hate to restrain any patient. Please don't think for a moment that doing this is an easy thing for us. But it's for Dean's own good. He will hurt himself and I won't allow that to happen. The boy has fought too hard and come too far for that to happen," Ramsey said.

Jim closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "How long?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"What?" Ramsey asked.

"How long will he have to be restrained for?" Jim asked.

"Only for as long as necessary. But I don't know how long that'll be until I can see Dean's progress," Ramsey said. "I'm sorry."

"No need for that doctor. You've kept Dean with us. I'll trust you to do what needs to be done," Jim said. "I was just beginning to think the worst was over."

"We're almost there pastor. Really, but there is something else," the doctor said.

"Ok." Jim said guardedly.

"Sammy," Ramsey said.

"What about him?" Jim asked. He thought the thirteen year old was getting better.

"I'm not sure about him staying," Ramsey said. "After yesterday, the way he blanked out on us, I'm not sure he should see his brother go through this."

Jim mulled the idea of not letting Sammy stay in the room and shook his head. "Honestly I think he should stay."

"Pastor," Ramsey started but got cut off.

"No. Hear me out," Jim said softly.

Ramsey nodded.

"Most of the time these two boys only have themselves. They move around a lot so they don't get the chance to make a lot of friends. They depend on each other and trust each other explicitly," Jim said earnestly. "Dean needs Sammy to help him through this. As close as Caleb and I are to those two boys, we're not enough. The two people needed most are his brother and his father."

Ramsey nodded. "All right. You know them better than I do. But I'm trusting your judgment here. The second you think it's too much..."

"I'll take Sammy out of there myself. I don't want Sammy going through any more than what's necessary," Jim said.

"We'll need to tell Sammy what to expect," Ramsey said.

"Caleb and I can do that. Now, what about John?" Jim asked.

"Well depending on how he reacts to his new medications. If he improves then he will be allowed to visit Dean," Jim said. "If not well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"How long until Dean starts to wake up?" Jim asked then took a sip of the coffee.

"Well it will be at least a couple of hours yet but should be this afternoon. Awake to be coherent that is. He should be close to surfacing this morning. Probably within the next hour give or take how fast the sedation comes out of his system," Ramsey said. "When that happens is really up to him."

Jim gave the doctor a half grin. Dean would probably be awake before lunch.

"Well I'd best get this tar to Caleb before it goes completely cold," Jim said.

"It's nice to know I'm not suffering alone," Ramsey said with a grin then turned serious. "I'll check on how John's faring. If he's improved I'd like to have him in Dean's room when his son wakes."

"Thanks doc," Jim said as they got up and headed out of the cafeteria.

"No problem. I'll be up to check on Dean in a little bit," Ramsey said.

0000000000000

Jim nodded a hello at the nurse in the nurse's station and walked into Dean's room. He paused at the sight in front of him. Dean was in the same position he had been in since he was placed in the room.

Sammy was lying beside his big brother. His plaster encased wrist was wrapped tightly around his brother, his fingers grasping the sheets. The thirteen year old had his head resting on Dean's arm like he'd seen several times over the years when the boys had stayed with him.

Caleb had moved his chair so one arm was touching the bed. His legs were hitched up onto the bed crossed at his ankles. He had slouched down so far in the chair that the side of his head was resting against he plastic back. His hand was resting on Sammy's back and he was frowning in sleep.

Jim shook his head slightly unsure how his son was able to fall asleep in that position. He looked back at Sammy and had his answer. The boy's eyes were puffy and red as if he'd been crying. The pastor hoped that he hadn't been having nightmares on top of everything else, but suspected it was why Caleb was sleeping so close.

Jim put both coffee cups onto a side table and silently walked over to his son. "Caleb," he said softly.

Caleb's feet dropped to the floor and he bolted up to his feet. He looked around the room wildly until he focused on his father.

"Easy my boy, it's just me. I brought you some coffee," he said softly.

"Dad you scared the crap out of me," Caleb said as he collapsed back into his chair. He rubbed a hand over his face and willed his racing heart to settle. As if Sammy screaming to consciousness earlier hadn't brought him close to having a heart attack.

"Yeah sorry about that," Jim said letting his hand rest on Caleb's shoulder for a moment before moving away. He handed his son his coffee before sitting in the other chair in the room.

Caleb took a long pull from his coffee and grimaced at the bitterness then sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Who says something's wrong?" Jim said with a slight shake of his head and a small grin.

Caleb just stared at him until Jim sighed. "All right. We need to get Sam up, or at least awake."

"No. Just let him sleep. He needs it. Last night was... rough," Caleb said softly his eyes moving back to check on the boy.

"Nightmare?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. Bad ones," Caleb said.

"Never knew a nightmare to be good," Jim said hearing the trace of vulnerability in his son's voice.

Caleb snorted but didn't say anything. He took another long pull of his coffee again. "Gah. How is it you always find the worst coffee ever?"

Jim just smiled. "Pure talent son."

"That I believe," Caleb shot back.

"Finish your coffee then we'll wake Sammy," Jim said and took another hit of the dark brew.

0000000000000

Ramsey had returned almost an hour later. He found Sammy sleepy and yawning. The boy was sitting next to his brother and still half covered by the blanket. He couldn't help but notice that his hand was resting on his brother's arm.

"Morning everyone," Ramsey said coming further into the room. "How're you feeling Sammy?"

Sammy shrugged then gave a big yawn.

"Might want to let him wake up before asking him anything," Caleb said then gave Sammy a wink.

Sammy stuck his tongue out at him.

Ramsey gave him a cursory check but knew the boy was recovered enough to be released. Then he checked on Dean and was pleased with the sixteen year olds progress.

"Sammy we need to have a bit of a chat this morning," Dr. Ramsey said.

Sammy eyes grew wide. "Did I hurt him? I hurt him didn't I?"

Ramsey shook his head.

Sammy looked at Caleb. "You were supposed to not let me do that!"

"Sammy take it easy. You haven't done anything to your brother. Now shut up and let the doctor talk," Caleb said but eased the words with a gentle rub of the younger boys head.

"Hey," Sammy protested.

Jim sighed wanting to get this over with. "Boys let the doctor speak," he said softly.

They immediately settled and looked at the doctor.

"Sammy your brother should begin to wake up today," Ramsey started.

"You mean it?" Sammy asked his eyes that were fearful just a moment ago now shone with hope.

"Yeah I do," Ramsey said. "But you need to know that it will be hard on your brother."

"Dean's tough. He'll get through it," Sammy said and unconsciously tightened his grip on his brother. "I'll make sure."

Ramsey blinked and swallowed heavily. The boy's confident and trust filled words made this much more difficult.

"Yes he will, but he just can't wake up right away. He will wake up slowly," the doctor said.

"Why?" Sammy asked as he tilted his head slightly.

"He's still on medications that will keep him sleepy. Because of his injuries there are certain things we need to do," Ramsey said.

"Like what?" Sammy asked. When the doctor didn't answer him right away he looked at Pastor Jim.

"Sammy we need to change how the respirator is helping him. This has to be done slowly so he needs to be kept somewhat sedated at first," Jim explained.

The boy frowned as he looked at the serious adults around him. "So just do it," he said with half a shrug.

"It's not that simple kiddo," Caleb said. His father hadn't told him what was going to happen, but he'd thought it through and was pretty sure what was coming next.

"Why not? It's just a machine. Make the change so Dean will wake up," Sammy said. "If he's having trouble we'll help him."

"Yes. Yes we will," Jim said. "But there's more to it than that."

Sammy looked back to the doctor. He sighed heavily. Man there was always more to it. Which always sucked big time. "Just tell me."

"Dean will have to wake up but still use the respirator," Ramsey said. "He won't understand what's happening at first Sammy."

"I'll tell him," Sammy said.

"He won't be awake enough to understand. We'll have to restrain him," Ramsey said as gently as he could.

Sammy paled and grabbed hold of Dean's arm. "No. No way! That's not right. Dean would hate that! I won't let you tie him down. No way! You're crazy!"

"Sammy listen to me," Jim said. "Dean needs this to happen to protect him from harm he could do to himself."

Sammy shook his head. Pastor Jim was their friend. How could he think this was any where near the realm of being ok? "How could you even agree to this!"

"It's for his own good," Ramsey tried again.

"No! We shouldn't do this. Dean wouldn't like that," Sammy said but knew he wasn't getting anywhere with the adults so he turned to one of his best allies. "Caleb please tell them!"

Caleb sighed. He couldn't look at Sammy because couldn't bear to see the hurt in the boys eyes. With a heavy heart he walked to the window as he struggled to get his own emotions under control. Crossing his arms over his chest he thought back to the times he'd been held against his will. Most hunters had. His father, Bobby, hell even John had a story from his very first hunt.

Sometimes the supernatural enemy they hunted regardless if it were trolls; spirits; or demons; they liked to play with their prey. Toy with them. He swore they tried to shatter them mentally before breaking them physically.

The loss of control was almost as bad as being injured. He knew Dean lived for that control. The teen had once explained to him that he had to control everything in order to keep Sammy safe. Everything had its place and time and if he kept them in their respective places it would keep Sammy safe.

"Sammy," Caleb said softly looking away from the window but not at anyone in particular. "It can't be helped little man. It's for your brother's protection."

"No! There has to be another way!" Sammy shouted.

0000000000000

_Voices floated in and out around him. Most he recognized and one he didn't. Didn't much matter though. For the first time in a very long he was comfortable. There was no pain, no fear, nothing to do. He was so relaxed it was unreal. He felt like he was floating on the wind cradled in soft downy cotton. If he wasn't so relaxed he might have thought of opening his eyes but it really would have taken too much effort._

_The only minor thing he didn't know was where his little brother was. But he was around here somewhere so that was enough._

"No! There has to be another way!" Sammy shouted.

'_Oh wow. Tone it down little man. No need to shout right over top of me.'_

"No Sammy," Caleb said softly.

"Sammy calm down. It's what needs to be done," Jim said softly but firmly.

'_Huh. Caleb and Jim are here too.'_

"Sammy this is for his own protection. It's going to happen whether you approve or not. I know he's your brother and you're looking out for him. But if you can't handle it you can return to your room," Ramsey said.

_That was the voice he didn't recognize. That was kinda ok though. Jim and Caleb wouldn't let anything happen to him or Sammy._

"He won't like it. Caleb please don't let them do this. It's wrong," Sammy pressed.

'_Wait. What wouldn't I like?'_

"Sammy I know you're afraid for Dean," Jim tried to say

"It'll be ok little man," Caleb said.

'_Caleb what's happening? Don't let them do anything.'_

"No. Caleb please," Sammy pleaded his voice muffled by Caleb's shirt.

'_Sammy sounds scared. I really should find him and find out what was wrong.' He continued to float along the wind for a wile longer unsure how to find his little brother. His voice was so close, almost as if he was sitting right next to him, but he wasn't here. Then he heard Jim and Caleb's voices again so close by. They were safe with them. Things should be fine, right?_

"N-no! I won't let you!" Sammy shouted.

'_Crap. Sammy. You sound angry and scared.' He tried to say something, anything that would calm his little brother down but nothing came out. Where the hell was he anyway?_

_An alarm sounded and the warmth that had been next to him was gone. _

"NO! Lemme go!" Sammy shouted.

_He thought he flinched at the all out panic and fear in his little brother's voice. 'Oh crap. Not good. So not good. Caleb look after him while I get myself out of here.' Wherever here was. He could feel himself begin to panic and tried to slow his breathing. He had to stay calm if he was going to fix this._

_He tried again to say something but it just wouldn't happen. He tried to move and found he was bound to the ground. What the hell? He was so not tied down. He pulled feebly against the ropes that held him but he couldn't move._

_He saw nothing but darkness surrounding him. Must have been blindfolded. What had they been hunting anyway. Not that it mattered. He had to get free, get to Sam. He wouldn't let them hold him and he was going to kill the little bitch that held him here._

_Then he felt something. The warmth was back and he stopped struggling. Sammy was here? What was going on? He stopped fighting and relaxed as his brothers young voice washed over him._

"You're ok now Dean. It's safe here. I'm watching over you," Sammy said.

_Dean wanted to laugh at that. 'Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. No matter how old you are I'm still your older brother and I'll always take care of you.'_

"Dean?" Pastor Jim said. "Stop struggling son."

'_Pastor Jim please get me out of this,' he thought and started struggling again._

"Stop fighting it Dean. You're safe," Jim said.

'_Oh not good,' he thought as he felt a hand run over his hair. 'I do that for Sammy when he's hurt or sick._

"Just take it easy," Jim said.

_Dean tried to relax, he really did, but he just couldn't figure this out. 'Am I dreaming? Had they been caught by something? Am I sick? Yeah that made sense. I must be sick, but I don't_ _feel sick. Was he being played? Was that actually Sammy? No! It's all a trick! 'LEMME GO!' He had to get out of this and find his brother._

"Dean its ok," Sammy said.

'_Ok? OK? Sammy you're not getting it. THEY TIED ME DOWN! JUST... just get me out of here!'_

_He felt Sammy take a firm grasp of his hand and he could feel the fear and anger through it._

"Pastor Jim please can't we? He hates this. So do I," Sammy said.

"No Sammy," Jim said. "He'll just hurt himself."

'_No I won't. Get hits off me! SAMMY PLEASE!'_

"This sucks," Sammy said softly.

_Even through his fear Dean almost laughed at the words. That had been Sammy's catch phrase of late. Everything sucked according to his little brother._

"Does it have to be so tight then? His hand's cold. They're cutting off his circulation," Sammy said.

"I can't do this," Caleb said.

"Son," Jim said a warning in his tone.

"Don't let go of him Sammy. I mean it," Caleb said.

'_Caleb? DUDE! Get me out of this crap!' Dean tried to yell._

"Kay," Sam answered.

"I'm going to check on John. See how he's doing," Jim said. "Make sure you redo that before the doc gets back."

_He felt the pressure release around his wrist and he tried to move but Sam added his other hand around his cold one. He heard a sound. Oh no. He did not just whimper, did he?_

"Easy Dean," Caleb said.

_Caleb's easy going voice. Just as if he was on the other end of the phone. His warm voice comforting Dean when he was alone and just needed someone to talk to. Someone to chase away fears and the darkness._

"You're all right. Scared all of us but good though," Caleb said.

'_Scared you? Man you should feel it from this end.' Dean relaxed though. He could feel Sam's hands around his own, giving him a ground in the never ending darkness. Caleb continued to talk and he began to feel safe._

_Normally he hated being watched and fussed over. This time he allowed the warmth to surround him and lull him back to sleep._

0000000000000

Ramsey came in wheeling John in ahead of him and Jim trailed behind them. Doctor Ramsey and John were surprised to find Dean had been released from his restraints.

"What happened here? Who let Dean out of his restraints?" Dr. Ramsey asked.

"I did," Caleb said and shrugged.

"Me too. His hands were cold," Sammy said.

Ramsey moved John to the other side of the bed then went to Sam. "We talked about this."

"He woke up! He didn't do anything!" Sam said

Caleb moved slightly. "Well he didn't really wake up. You could see his eyes moving behind his eye lids and his hands were twitching a lot," he said softly.

Sam turned and glared at Caleb.

"Hey I promised you some leeway if I could find it. That was it buddy," he said regretfully.

"Sammy we talked about this," Ramsey started again. "Dean won't realize what's happening."

"Yes he will! He always knows what's happening around him," Sammy said.

"Sammy," John said softly from where he was sitting. "Listen to the doctor. I don't like this either."

Sammy sighed heavily looking extremely unhappy.

Ramsey felt like he had to get Sammy to understand. There was only one way to do that. He moved to stand right in front of the boy. "Close your eyes.

Sammy stiffened his posture and shifted to give his brother more protection. "Why?" He ground out as he glared up at the doctor.

"Humour me or I'll release you and make Caleb take you to the motel and not return until tomorrow," Ramsey said looking annoyed but inside he was smiling. Kid must have been feeling better even if he did have a headache. The fight was back in him with a vengeance.

"Fine," the thirteen year old huffed.

Ramsey waited for him to close his eyes. "Good. Now open your mouth as wide as it can go and breathe through your mouth."

Sam opened his eyes and gave the doctor a funny look. "You serious?"

Ramsey nodded.

Sammy frowned and shifted again so his forearm lay across his brother protectively. He glanced at his father.

John had a feeling he knew what was about to happen. Doctor Ramsey had explained to him what was happening and how his youngest son had reacted to Dean's condition. He knew both boys were protective of each other. He'd never really had to push the protectiveness on Dean. Ever since the fire his oldest hated to let Sammy out of his sight.

Sammy had grown into protecting his big brother by watching Dean. But what his youngest one hadn't figured out yet was that sometimes people needed protection from themselves when they didn't know better. Right now looking after Dean meant keeping him intubated for a little while longer. Which meant restraints to keep him safe.

He couldn't allow Sammy to continue to be upset and get into the doctor's way. So he'd given Ramsey permission to get Sammy to understand any way he could. It was important and necessary.

He knew he was going to hate every minute of it even as he gave his son a slight nod.

Sammy looked back at the doctor. Weird as he thought this was going to be was he was in a room full of family. He was safe no matter what the doctor did. He closed his eyes.

"You can't talk, you're feeling all floaty and nothing's making sense. If you understand nod your head. Don't talk," he said in his most low soothing tone.

Sammy nodded.

"You can hear things around you. Voices and noises. Its warm. You're comfortable. You are alone. Nod if you understand," Ramsey said slowing his words.

Sammy nodded and began to relax.

"The sounds mesh together making it hard to know who's around you and what's happening. Nod if you understand," Ramsey said continuing in his most calm tone.

Sammy nodded again and fought the urge to yawn.

"You wonder where your family is in the darkness and why you're so alone. You want to voice your fears, talk to someone, but you can't," Ramsey continued in his soothing voice. He saw Sammy begin to relax, his breathing even out and he slouched a bit where he was perched on the edge of his brother's bed. He lowered his tone just a bit. "Nod if you understand."

Sammy nodded again.

"You're floating in the dark, wondering why you're alone, and you know something is wrong," Ramsey said just above a whisper and very slowly. He saw Caleb out of the corner of his eye glare at him and clench a fist. "Nod if you understand."

Sammy sighed before he nodded slightly.

Ramsey swallowed heavily. "You suddenly realize something is stuck down your throat! You're choking on it! You have it get it out! Now!"

Sammy's body jerked, his eyes bolted open and his hands flew towards his mouth at the sudden change in the doctor's tone.

Caleb took a step forward when he felt his father's hand on his shoulder and gave it a bit of a squeeze.

Ramsey grabbed Sammy's hands gently and pulled them away from his mouth. "If Dean were to do that he could seriously damage his lungs, trachea, throat and mouth. He would struggle to breathe, _if_ he could breathe. Most likely he would choke and fight to draw in a breath. His body has learned to depend on the machine to breathe for him and he may not draw in a breath on his own."

"But it's not fair. Dean wouldn't want to be tied down," Sammy said.

Ramsey nodded. "I know. Not a whole lot has been fair about this, has it?"

Sam shook his head slightly and looked at his brothers closed eyes. He rubbed the side of his head for a moment. "Why can't you just wake him up now? When he's totally awake tell him not to pull out the tube."

"It just doesn't work that way Sam. I'm sorry," Dr. Ramsey said.

Sam looked over at his Dad. "Can't you make him? Dean does everything you say."

John smiled sadly and shook his head. "Sammy come here."

Sammy slowly eased himself off the bed and walked over to his father.

Ramsey watched pensively. John had seemed better, and he was sure the other meds were out of his system, but he'd been wrong before.

"Dad just make him wake up," Sam said softly.

Caleb swallowed heavily at the plea in the thirteen year olds voice.

John reached out and placed a hand on his youngest son's back. "Just give him some more time Sammy. Dean will wake up but he needs time. He needs to wake slowly. I know you don't understand but that's how it is."

Sam rubbed tiredly at an eye and then rubbed his forehead.

"Headache?" John asked as he pulled his son a little closer.

"Yes sir," Sammy said. "Sorry."

"What for?" John asked softly. He knew Dr. Ramsey was restraining Dean again even though he kept his focus on his youngest. He couldn't help Dean at the moment, but he had a long way to go in making things up to Sammy for his earlier behaviour.

"You don't like it when I act like this," Sammy said looking down.

"No Sammy. That's not it. I don't like it when you get hurt. I don't like it when either of you boys gets hurt. Whether it's something like this or something small," John said moving his hand to move through Sam's hair. "I want you boys well."

Sam leaned slightly into his father's touch. "Can you stay for a bit?"

"Nothing could drag me away," John said.

Jim moved a chair next to John's wheel chair.

Ramsey looked up to see Sam sit next to his father and lean into him. He finished restraining the sixteen year old onto the bed. He checked his readings and knew it wouldn't be long before the boy woke.

"No matter what these restrains need to be kept on. We'll take them off as soon as we can but it really is in Dean's best interests that they stay on," Ramsey said.

"They'll stay on Doc," John said almost choking on the words.

0000000000000

_He awoke again to a loud voice. A very loud unknown voice._

"Dean? Come on buddy. I know you're in there. You need to wake up now," Ramsey said.

_Someone was in their motel room. Crap... He must have miscalculated the rent day and Dad was late. Gonna have to call Caleb again._

"Son open your eyes," John said.

'_Dad? Ok not late on the rent. School? Oh man was I skipping and got caught again? The plan was foolproof. Another friggin truant officer. Crap. Extra laps. Guaranteed.'_

"Dean please wake up," Sammy said.

_Sammy why do you sound so scared? All right fine. A guy can't even sleep in anymore._

They all watched Dean intently hoping for something but only got flickering eyelids.

"Dad make him wake up," Sammy said.

'_Sammy man I'm trying. Give me a minute. Last night's hunt must have been a bitch,' Dean groused doing his best to crawl back to waking._

"Give him some time son. He's trying," John said.

"No. Wake up Dean now. I don't wanna wait anymore," Sammy said petulantly.

'_Sammy. Really dude. I'm trying. Shut up and give me a minute.'_

"Here try this," Ramsey said handing Jim a cloth.

Cool water pressed gently on Dean's eyes and tracked down his face and into his hair. Then another cloth just as gently dried his face.

"There. That should help some," Jim said softly.

'_Pastor Jim?'_

"Open your eyes. Now Dean," John said.

'Ok. Ok. I was getting there,' Dean struggled and managed to open his eyes a sliver. It was still dark. Three figures loomed back in shadows while two others were close by. He looked at him. Sammy was the closest of them all.

He tried to say his little brother's name but he choked on something in his throat.

"Dean listen to me," Dr. Ramsey said.

_Dean clenched his eyes closed as he fought to pull in a breath. All he could hear was buzzing in his head and angry voices near by. He clenched his hand around his baby brothers as if it were a life line._

_Suddenly his body relaxed all on its own. A few breaths later he opened his eyes again._

_The room seemed a little brighter now and he blinked tiredly at the faces around him. He could see fear in his little brother's eyes. He wanted to comfort him but he was too scared. This was new territory. He didn't know what to do._

"Don't try to talk Dean. Save your strength," Sammy said.

'_Oh god. It was the save your strength speech. I'm going to die!'_

"You have a machine helping you breathe," John said calmly hoping keeping an outward show of calmness would help his son.

'_Oh,' Dean thought. 'Not dying then. Not dying is good.'_

"Dean?"

_Oops closed my eyes for a second. Ok. Closing eyes bad cause it scares Sammy. Open them. Ah there you are Sammy. That's better._

Sammy frowned at him slightly. The fear was still there in his eyes but he giggled almost nervously. "You look totally stoned."

"How would you know what that looked like?" Caleb asked as he came into view next to his little brother.

'_Hey Caleb.'_

"After school special," Sam said mater of factly

"Really," Caleb drawled.

_Dean shifted his glance and saw his father. Relief lowed through him when he realized that his father wasn't mad. Relieved and hurt and wearing hospital attire. Banged up and bandaged but not mad. Dean wasn't sure but he thought he was in trouble but no one looked mad._

_He moved his hand and his father leaned forward capturing the straining hand in his own larger calloused one stopping Dean's struggles._

"Just relax Dean," he said softly. "Let the machine do the work."

_Dean blinked a few times but did as he was told._

John smiled. "That's right."

_Man he was in so much trouble. No one looked mad, but this couldn't be good, right?_

John's smile grew until his entire face lit up, relief evident at Dean finally waking up.

_Dean could've sworn his Dad was trying not to cry. But that couldn't be right. Dad hadn't cried since his mother died._

_Dean wanted to say something, anything to relieve the tension in the room and choked again on the respirator._

"Dean stop it. You're ok. We're all ok. Just concentrate on breathing," John said gently.

'_Just breathe? Are you feakin kidding me?'_

"Dean if they have to they will sedate you again," John threatened hoping to stop his son from panicking.

'_Aw man! Don't let them do that dad!'_

"They won't do that if you stop struggling," Sammy said with slight sarcasm intoned in his voice and a roll of his eyes.

_Dean looked at his baby brother and managed to twitch an eyebrow in response. The sixteen year olds response was clear. Wanna go little man?_

Sammy giggled softly and squeezed his hand tightly. His way of showing Dean he was not going to let go or leave for anything.

_He was tired and closed his eyes. For a moment he just listened. The room was quiet except for shuffling feet and fidgeting._

"He wake up yet?" Dr. Ramsey asked.

'_Don't know that voice,' Dean thought._

"Yeah for a bit," Caleb said

"He's not asleep," Sammy said quietly.

'_Sammy I'm playing possum. Just go with it.'_

"Hey Dean. I'm Doctor Ramsey. I've been looking after you," the doc said.

'_Crap. I hate doctors.'_

"I need you to open your eyes," Ramsey said.

'_Nah. Think I'll take a nap now.'_

"He doesn't like doctors," Sammy said.

'_Shut up Sammy.'_

"And if he were awake he'd be glaring and telling you he was fine," Sammy said.

"Sammy let the doctor look after Dean, John said softly. "Dean I know you're not asleep. Open your eyes now."

_Slowly Dean opened them and looked at his father._

"He's nice Dean," Sammy said seriously.

_He looked at his little brother. Sammy looked relaxed, and didn't seem afraid of the doctor. So maybe he had treated his little brother well then._

"He's taken good care of me. Even let me stay here with you," Sam said blushing slightly.

_Dean gave Sammy's hand a squeeze. 'Don't worry about that Sammy. You can stay with me anytime, you know that. But dude. Still a doctor.'_

"Nice thoughts Dean," Caleb said with a grin.

'_Screw off Caleb. The man tied me to a bed.'_

"He's grumpy," Sammy said looking up at the doctor.

"And he has every right to be Sammy," Ramsey said then turned to Dean. "Now then. Before I can ask you how you're feeling lets get some control back to you."

'_Oh now I know why Sammy likes you. You're part comedian, right? You can make him laugh? How am I getting control here?'_

"First off everyone needs to ask you yes or no questions. One blink for yes and two for no," Ramsey said hovering over Dean's entire line of vision.

'_Sure. Sounds fine. Now how many blinks for piss off and go away?'_

"Dean? Yes or no?" Ramsey said.

'_Oh for freaks sake. Fine.' Dean blinked once. 'Happy now?'_

Ramsey gave him a small smile. He'd looked after many teenagers in his time. "Good. Now see if you can keep these strait. Three blinks for shut up, very helpful with little brothers and family. Four blinks for you're driving me crazy. And the ultimate five blinks for piss off and go away."

Dean's eyes must have widened because Caleb started to laugh. "Dude he's so got your number."

_Dean turned and blinked three times then glared at Caleb. Which just made everyone laugh._

_Dean looked at his father._

John winked at him and squeezed his hand. "Enough guys."

_Dean closed his eyes. Who knew blinking took so much energy. After a few minutes he opened his eyes again. Everyone seemed to be engrossed in their own conversations._

"All right everyone. John you need to get back to your room and I need everyone else to leave for a few minutes. I need to give Dean a respitory test."

'_Oh no. No no no no no. Absolutely not. Don't leave me. Not now. I just woke up.' He pulled and struggled as hard as he could. _

"Dean? I won't go far," Sammy said.

_One of his hands twisted in the restraints and he pulled it out. Dean's free hand latched onto his brother's shirt and he pulled him close. 'Don't leave me Sammy. Don't leave me alone! Sammy! Dad! Please!'_

_Dad's voice. He could hear his Dad's voice. Right next to him. He could feel his hands, one on his shoulder one of the other side of his head. He tried to focus on the words _

"It's ok Dean. No one's taking Sammy. I'm not going anywhere. Just relax son," John said and repeated over and over.

_Dean's eyes opened and his father filled his entire line of vision. Dad was here. Sammy was here. It was ok. They didn't go. They didn't leave him alone tied to a bed. Exhausted Dean closed his eyes again._

"Dad?" Sammy said softly his voice wavering slightly.

"Sammy you need to give Dean some time here son. Have some patience," John said.

"No it's not that. I'm slipping," he said his voice strained slightly.

_Dean cracked his eyes open and saw his little brother was angled funny on the bed. John reached over and helped Sam right himself so he as stretched out next to his brother._

_Having Sam right next to him calmed the older teen considerably. Slowly he relaxed totally and fell asleep._

Ramsey was standing next to the door way having let the family stay and deal with Dean. The sixteen year old needed them far more than more meds in his system. Somehow he knew that backing away and giving them time together was exactly what Dean needed.

"Mr. Winchester are you all right?" Ramsey asked softly.

John looked over at him confused. "I'm ok doc."

"You stood up and pulled Sam onto the bed. We're going to have to check your drainage tubes," Ramsey clarified.

"I'm fine. Doc you can't leave him alone tied down to a bed. One of us needs to be here," John said turning back to his sons.

Ramsey came into the room. "Breathing exercises are not fun. In fact it's hard on the patient and I've found over the years it's harder on them if their family's here," he tried to explain.

"I don't want him alone," John said.

"Yes I understand that. But the exercises only take about five to ten minutes. Once he's done his visitors can come back in," Ramsey said and held up his hands to forestall John's complaint. "I've given your family a lot of leeway in Dean's stay here. Please respect that he needs to take a few minutes break from everyone, concentrate on one person and do his tests. After that's done then you can all come back in. But I must insist he do the tests one on one with me or one of the nurses."

"Fine, but I'm not happy about it," John said. "We need to let him know that first or he'll panic again."

"Agreed," Ramsey said. "One more thing. I've left Sammy's release forms at the nurse's desk where his room is. Not that he really used it," said with a grin. "They know Caleb can sign him out. He's done much better. Always calmer around his brother, and while he still has a bit of healing ahead of him with his arm and concussion I have a feeling he'll be here all day anyway for me to keep an eye on him."

John nodded. "All right. Can we give Dean some more time?"

Ramsey nodded. "Yes, of course. We can wait for a while yet before the exercises become necessary, but no more than a few hours. We'll give him the chance to wake up on his own first. When he does let the nurses know. They'll page me and I'll go through the first set of tests with him."

John nodded.

Ramsey turned and left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters. I've only borrowed them for a little while. They will return, mostly unharmed, when I'm done playing. Estimated return date 2099.

Author's notes: Profuse apologies on the lateness of this chapter. Life got a wee bit complex there for a while and there wasn't time to write. Which has not made me the easiest person to live with.

Huge thanks out to Heather who beta'd her heart out on the medical side of things. Dr. Ramsey now sounds like a doctor. LOL. Big thanks out to lynxlan for the beta as well for catching John's half thought. (LOL) I have made a few changes since getting it back. Any errors left here are totally my bad.

There will be one or two more chapters to come and then this little romp will be over. Next posting will be a Christmas story which is four chapters almost ready to go. It will not cause much of a delay for this story, but since it is a Christmas story I wanted it up before the 25th. Then the conclusion of Renovations will happen. Thanks for sticking with it even though it's taken forever to get this done. Also thanks out for the lurkers. I've never had so many checking out one of my stories before. Thanks guys.

There is some language in this chapter. Just sayin.

Now on with the story.

* * *

Renovations

Chapter 15

By infinite shadow

"Hey John," Dr. Ramsey said as he entered the room.

"Hey doc. How are my kids?" John asked.

"Well that's why I'm here. Sammy's doing well and as we discussed earlier I will be releasing him today. As for Dean, the infection is responding well to treatment and his condition is improving. He's stable now and since he's regained consciousness I'm ready to switch the ventilator over to assist. This will allow Dean to have some control over his breathing instead of a machine doing all of the work. With the assist setting Dean can initiate breaths which will aid in getting his lungs stronger. However, since his body still tires easily, the vent will still be delivering a preset volume of air. This will prevent Dean from working his body too hard, he still needs time to rest and heal. I'm hoping that we can start this weaning process soon."

"How does that work?" John asked.

"His respiratory status will be monitored by the pulse oxomiter which measures the oxygen saturation of Dean's blood. We will also be monitoring his tidal volume, that's the volume of air that Dean is taking in and pushing out. The ventilator will assume control over Dean's breathing if either of these monitors shows him to be in any kind of distress. If it appears that his body cannot tolerate spontaneous breathing than we will have to return Dean to the control mode until he's stronger," he stated.

John nodded. "Will he be in pain?"

"No. There may be some discomfort since his lungs are weak but the pain medication should keep him comfortable," Ramsey informed.

"When can the tube be removed?" John asked.

"We need to see how well Dean responds to breathing with the vent. If he doesn't tire too easily, and his vitals remain stable, then I'm hoping to extubate in another day or so. We need to be careful," Ramsey said. "Dean has been through quite an ordeal. From the conversations I've had with Sammy, Dean is more of a take action kind of guy. Am I right?"

John smiled. "Yeah he is."

Ramsey nodded. "Right now Dean must feel like he has absolutely no control over anything. As much as he doesn't like it, he is dependent on the machine to breathe. Removing that tube is a terrifying concept for all patients. While it's a relief to get it out and breathe on their own, most patients fear that something will go wrong. Also, Dean's body has been through major trauma. He needs to rest and if we allow him to push himself too hard than he will relapse. His condition has improved but he still needs us to provide what his body is incapable of. As much as I try to explain it, we're not the ones going through this ordeal. Dean is and the only thing I can guarantee is that he's scared."

John ran a hand over his face. "I will be there for whatever happens."

"Yes of course. I was hoping you would be. We are getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Right now I think the big thing is that Dean will be spending the night alone. Sammy's told me that they usually share a room and neither of them sleeps well when they're alone."

"My boys have always been close. Sammy lost his mother when he was six months old. Since then it's been difficult to separate the two. Even as a four year old Dean would fuss over him. It's changed over the years but Dean's always watched out for his little brother. Sammy tends to have nightmares and it's Dean he goes to when that happens. I'd hate to separate them now," John said.

"Dean needs time on his own," Ramsey said.

"Don't be so sure about that," John said cutting him off.

Ramsey frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Dean has a tendency to put his little brother ahead of all things, including himself. He'll spend the night worrying about Sammy - if he ate, did he take his meds, is he sleeping, is he having nightmares," John said.

"Mr. Winchester as much as I can appreciate their connection, Dean needs to stop pretending he's ok," Ramsey said.

John shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"He's putting up a brave front, acting as if he's ok, so Sammy won't worry so much. That can be exhausting. I think Caleb and Pastor Jim can see it but I'm not even sure that Dean is aware he's doing it. He needs to put his energy into healing, not acting. He needs time alone so he can do just that. I'm releasing Sam today. He is doing well enough that with your permission I would like to release him to Caleb and then have Sam leave tonight. The only way Dean will allow himself to truly rest is if he doesn't have to worry about trying to be ok for Sam," Ramsey said. "He can come back first thing in the morning once visiting hours begin."

"Neither one is going to like that, but I agree. Dean needs his rest and he won't be getting it with Sammy tonight," John said and sighed. "I'll come up and tell them.

"Actually you are scheduled for a scan in a few minutes with Doctor Shaw. Depending on the results the drainage tube may be removed tonight. In which case you are free to come up and see Dean as much as you want," Ramsey smiled slightly. "I caught up to your doctor at the nurse's station. I told him I'd let you know and he's down making sure the equipment is ready. He's pretty sure the tube is ready to be removed but wants to be sure before he does it."

John nodded. "I'd like to get this stuff out of me. But what I'd like more is to be back up there tonight after everyone else is gone. Dean doesn't do so well on his own without something to occupy him. Is there any way we can get a radio into his room? Otherwise he'll think himself in circles."

"I have a radio in my office I'll be happy to loan him for the rest of his stay," Ramsey suggested.

"Thanks Doc. When can the tube be removed," John pressed wanting his son free of the equipment.

Ramsey sighed. He'd already explained it, however maybe not well enough. "In light of everything I've just said Dean has improved significantly faster than I had hoped he would. At the earliest we might be able to remove the tube tomorrow. But if something were to go wrong, a setback of sorts which is completely normal, Dean could be on the respirator for a while."

"What kind of setback?" He asked.

"There are a few different scenarios. The infection could come back if his body rejects the antibiotics. That is very unlikely but I have seen it happen. Dean could have trouble breathing on his own and the machine would have to help him until we could get his lungs stronger. That is the most likely of occurrences. There is also the possibility of him catching pneumonia. I don't see any signs of that but it is a common occurrence for any patient on ventilator. There are a lot of things that could go wrong here Mr. Winchester and I just want to make sure you are aware of them. So far Dean has surpassed everything I had hoped for his recovery," Ramsey said.

"But I need to know what could go wrong. I understand that doc. Where does he stand right now?" John asked.

"Well right now he's going great. I am going up to switch the respirator to assist and Dean will be run through some exercises to help strengthen his lungs. It will tire him out, but that is why he has the vent to assist him. We will be taking blood tests every hour to make sure his blood is well oxygenated and we'll also continue to monitor him for infection and any other complications. There are a lot of things to consider before removing the tubing," Ramsey said. "Also his nutrition status needs to be evaluated. We've kept him hydrated through IVs but if he stays intubated for any longer then we need to consider a feeding tube."

John stared at him for a moment. "A feeding tube?"

"Yeah. Right now Dean's been managed by a saline solution but that is not enough. A feeding tube runs through his nose and down into his stomach," Ramsey said. "Through it Dean will receive all the protein and calories his body needs to heal."

John closed his eyes. God his oldest would hate that and Sammy would have a complete melt down"Doc do what you need to do but take him off the respirator tomorrow if you can. Dean's not happy with things now. He'll hate it if you have to add a feeding tube."

"I understand. But if things go well then I'm sure it won't come to that," Ramsey said then looked at the door as a nurse came in with a wheel chair. "I will hold off on the feeding tube as long as I can, but it may need to be necessary."

"Mr. Winchester? I need to take you down for a scan now," she said.

"Well I'll leave you to it. As I said there's no restriction for you to see Dean. Any time you want to come up is fine. I'll leave word at the nurse's desk," Ramsey said.

"Thank you," John said as he slowly sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed.

"Need help?" Ramsey offered as he stood up.

"No. I got it. Just go look after my son," John said.

Ramsey nodded. "I'll see you later," he said and left the room.

0000000000000

Dean slowly woke up from the quiet voices talking nearby. He followed he cadence of the sounds for a short while before he finally opened his eyes.

_Ok. Hospital smells and sounds. Crap. How did I get here this time?_

He blinked slowly and looked around himself. It took a moment but the fuzziness of sleep faded away and he looked at the small wiry form sitting right beside him on the bed.

_Dude no one is going to take you seriously in that outfit. Taz is cool but road runner? Daffy? The dude with the hunting rife? So not cool. You know what else is not cool? Your hand on my chest. Really man when did you turn into such a clingy chick? But if you're gonna be all chick like get off your butt and get me a cup of caffeine._

"Well good morning Sunshine!" Caleb said with a broad grin.

Sammy looked down at him. "Don't believe him. It's like four in the afternoon."

Dean slowly looked between his brother and Caleb. _Afternoon?_

"You feeling all right kiddo?" Caleb asked moving a little closer to the bed.

Dean tried to talk but choked on the breathing tube instead. _What the hell?! _Dean clenched his eyes shut as he struggled to breathe and move.

"Dean open your eyes!" Caleb ordered.

The sixteen year olds eyes flew open following the order before he could even think about it. Caleb's face swam in and out of focus as he blinked the tears of panic away. _Caleb? Don't just stand there! Get me the fuck out of this! _

"Easy Dean," Caleb said.

"It's ok Dean. Don't fight the tube. It's helping you," Sammy said softly. "The more you fight the longer you'll be tied up."

Dean pulled on the restraints not listening to the advice. His face began to turn red in exertion and the veins along his throat began to rise along his skin.

"Dean stop it. Try to relax. Let the machine do all the work," Caleb said as he put a hand on the teen's shoulder getting his attention. "Remember the blinks?"

Dean closed his eyes. _Blinks? What did that have to… _He stopped struggling as he remembered what happened the last time he woke up. Dad was here with Jim and a doctor. Right. Blinking.

"Dean?" Sammy said.

_Ok Sammy. I'm ok. _He carefully blinked once in answer.

"You ok?" Sammy asked.

_Is that a serious question?_ He thought as he raised an eyebrow in response.

"Right," Caleb said. "Tied down, tube down your throat is not ok. We get that dude. Just stop panicking on us, ok?"

Dean closed his eyes.

"I'll be right back," Caleb said.

"Kay," Sammy said.

Dean heard the older man walk out of the room and his little brother shift on the bed slightly. He opened his eyes and took a good look at the kid sitting next to him busily biting his nails. The bruising, cuts, bandages and cast were somehow standing out like a bright ray of sunshine and he hated each and every one of them.

Sammy sighed quietly and stopped chewing his nail. "Concussion and stuff but I'm better."

Dean blinked twice. _Yeah. So don't believe that._

"Ok. I'll tell you but later. Can't talk about it now," he said.

Dean blinked twice.

"I can't. The doctor's coming. When it's safe I'll tell you everything I remember," Sammy whispered.

Dean blinked once. _Fine. But I don't like it._

Sammy shifted on the bed slightly to look back at the door as Dr. Ramsey came in.

_Man a little personal space here. You're almost sitting on my chest._

"Hi Dean. Remember me?" Dr. Ramsey said cheerfully.

_Crap. _Dean blinked once. _Friggin doc's back._

"I'd ask you how you're feeling but that wouldn't be a fair question," the doctor said.

_How many blink for leave me the hell alone?_

Ramsey glanced at the heart monitor then back to his patient. "Now that you're awake lets work towards getting that tube out."

Dean blinked once. _Hell yeah. Just yank it out doc. Don't yammer on about it. Just do it._

"Good. Now in order to do that, we need to wean you off your respirator," Ramsey said.

Dean blinked twice.

Ramsey smiled slightly. "I know you'd probably prefer we just yank it out, but we can't do that."

_Yes. Yes you can. _Dean blinked and searched out Caleb. _Tell him to just pull it out._

"Dude don't. You're dependent on the machine to breathe for you. You'll be taken off in stages but it's not safe to yank out the tube. Don't argue. Just do what the doc wants," Caleb said.

Dean blinked twice.

"Don't be so stubborn Dean," Sammy said.

Dean looked at his little brother who was still sitting on the bed with him.

"You almost died," Sammy whispered.

_Aw Sammy don't be like that._

"Please do it the safe way. You could hurt yourself badly if you or the doctor just pulls it out. You could go into shock and die," Sammy said softly.

Dean took in his little brother's pale skin and his overly bright eyes. _Fine_. _Wait is that my sweat shirt you're wearing?_

"Dean I have to run some breathing tests," Ramsey said.

The teen blinked once. _How hard could that be?_

Sammy glanced at Caleb then to the doctor.

"Sammy and Caleb I'm going to ask you two to step outside for a few minutes," Ramsey said.

Dean's eyes opened as far as they could go. Then he blinked twice, he paused and did it again. Over and over he repeated the double blinks as he pulled as hard as he could on the restraints. _NO! NO! NO! NO! Caleb don't let him do that._

"Dean?" Sammy said.

The heart monitor increased dramatically sowing the extent of the sixteen year olds distress.

"Dean calm down. It's ok buddy. Dr. Ramsey said a few minutes man. Stop being such a girl. Sammy and I will be right outside," Caleb said.

Dean continued his series of rapid blinking. _Screw you Caleb. Get me out of here. Just let me go!_

Sammy looked up at the doctor, his face paling more than it had been. "Maybe I could stay?"

Ramsey shook his head slowly.

"What if I stayed for the first tests so he would know what to expect," Sammy suggested.

"Sammy," Caleb said.

"Can't you see how scared he is?" Sammy demanded. "You tied him down to a bed and you expect him to be ok without us?"

"Yes Sammy I do," Ramsey said having expected the younger brother not to really go along with leaving his brother.

"It's not ok!" Sammy yelled.

Spurred on by his brother's angry voice Dean fought harder against the restraints and began to choke on the tubing.

Caleb leaned over Dean. As gently as he could he grabbed a hold of the teen's forearms and pushed down slightly. "Dean that's enough. You will do as the doctor said. You will do the tests and you will be fine. Am I understood?"

Dean suddenly stopped struggling and choking at the orders that were thrown at him. He closed his eyes and relaxed against the bed. Tears slowly trickled down his cheeks. He opened his eyes long enough to blink once then closed them again.

"Sammy off the bed. We'll be outside doc. Let us know when you're done," Caleb said and took a deep breath as he straightened up. "We'll be right back Dean."

Sammy walked out of the room, turned on his heel and glared at Caleb. "You suck."

"Yeah squirt? Deal with it. Dean needs to do tests on his own. Ramsey's a good guy, you said so yourself. Stop being such a five year old about it and let Dean get on with it," Caleb shot back not all that happy with himself even though he felt the orders were needed.

Sammy was about to say something when he got cut off.

"Caleb?" A nurse at the station said. "Dr. Ramsey said when you came out to sign these papers."

"What are they?" He asked moving over to the desk and snaked a hand onto Sammy's bicep to keep him out of Dean's room.

"Sammy's discharge papers," she said putting the clip board onto the counter and handed him a pen.

"Ok," Caleb said and scanned the documents. He signed a few places and handed back the clip board.

"He has prescriptions that he'll need to take. They're ready to be picked up at the pharmacy on your way out," the nurse said putting the clipboard down and lifting up a large brown paper grocery bag. "These are the few possessions that were in his room. There were several admissions since this morning and they needed the room."

Caleb nodded. "Thanks," he said knowing there wasn't much in the room.

Sammy snatched the bag out of his hands.

"Have anything to give him a better mood?" Caleb asked around a sigh.

"Bite me," Sammy snarked.

"I'll smack you one if you're not careful _little one,_" Caleb snarked right back. "Go sit down on that chair and don't move. I'll get your meds."

"Fine," Sammy said and plopped down onto the chair. He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at Caleb's back as he walked away.

The nurse hid a smile as she turned and entered information into the computer.

Almost ten minutes later Dr Ramsey came out of the room with a test tube tray full of Dean's blood. "Hey Sammy. You can," Ramsey paused and chuckled. He hadn't got past the young boy's name and he had run into the room.

"Dean? You ok?" Sammy said as he hopped up onto his brother's bed.

Dean opened tired eyes and blinked. _Yeah little man I'm fine. _He closed his eyes again.

Sammy watched the door for a few minutes to make sure no one was coming. He shifted slightly making his brother open his eyes.

_Ok. Sammy man I know you've been through a lot but I don't need to you be attached to my hip._

Sammy looked down at his brother. "Don't make me regret this," he said sternly.

_Regret what?_

Sammy reached down and undid the first restraint, then hopped off the bed, hurried around to the other side and undid the other. "Better?" He asked softly.

_Oh hell yeah! Thanks Sammy!_

"Please don't pull the tubing out Dean. Dad, Ramsey, Jim and Caleb will kill me," he pleaded. "I know it sucks but it needs to stay."

_I know. _He blinked once as he rubbed at his wrists in relief.

"I hate these things," Sammy said softly as he fingered the metal buckle. "I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay with you."

Dean smiled around the tubing. He pulled his brother down slightly and gave him a squeeze on the back of his neck. _Thanks Sammy._

Sammy sank into a chair next to Dean's bed. He didn't move or say anything for a few moments.

_Sammy you ok?_ Dean reached over and touched the back of his hand against his brother's forehead and flushed cheek.

Sammy flinched at the gentle touch and brought glassy eyes up to look at his brother. "Sorry."

Dean grabbed his arm and pulled him forward gently.

Sammy lethargically pulled the chair over as close to the bed as he could get it.

The sixteen year old gave Sammy's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Sammy let out a shaky breath. "You almost died," he whispered.

Dean squeezed his shoulder a little harder. _But I didn't kiddo. I'm right here._

Sam sniffed and took another shaky breath.

Dean moved his hand up to the back of his brother's head and gave it a gentle rub. _Still have a headache?_

"My head hurts. My arm hurts. I'm so tired. I want you to talk to me," Sammy said.

Dean frowned. _Sammy the doc told me I could be off this machine very soon. When that happens I promise to tease you enough to tell me to shut up._

"I did everything wrong and I got Dad hurt," he said softly.

_So did you. But you kept your head and got help._

"Hey guys. Ok Sammy you have been officially sprung," Caleb said.

Dean looked up at Caleb.

Caleb took a good look at Sammy as he crouched next to the chair and he pulled out a small bottle. "Hey I think this'll help a little," he said softly as he shook a pill out into his hand.

Sammy didn't take the small white pill but rubbed at an eye instead.

"You can take one now and then another before bed tonight," he said.

Sammy took the pill and swallowed it dry with a grimace. "Yuck."

"Go get some water from the bathroom," Caleb said.

Dean watched his brother get up and drag himself over to the bathroom and closed the door. He looked up at Caleb and mimed writing.

"Sorry dude. Didn't catch that," he said.

Dean frowned, flipped him off then did it again.

"Oh you want to write something down? Got a nurses number?" Caleb teased as he pulled out a small notebook and pen out of his jacket pocket. He handed the materials over and then moved the bed up slightly making sure it didn't interfere with the breathing tube. "Better?"

Dean blinked once. Then he furiously began writing on the notepad and thrust the paper back at Caleb.

Caleb scanned over the note. "Dude your penmanship needs work. But I already know he's not acting like himself. It's the concussion. It's not the first time I have taken care of him and it's not like I'm doing it alone. He's in good hands, or don't you trust me with him."

Dean rolled his eyes. _Trust wasn't an issue between them. If anyone other than him or his Dad had to look after Sammy then he'd want Caleb and Jim to do it. It just sucked that it wasn't going to be him._

"Sammy's ok. It's just been hard on him," Caleb said.

Dean opened his eyes. _Yeah I know that you idiot. But this is exactly what I try to protect Sammy from. _Sammy kept thinking this was his fault but in reality it was all his.

"Hey not your fault," Caleb said easily reading the guilt in the teen's eyes.

Dean rolled his eyes and motioned for the notepad again. He scribbled another note and handed it back.

"Yeah Dean I know. It's not like I met the kid yesterday. I know about the nightmares. He won't be staying here tonight. Doc knows he's not been sleeping well. I have a little antidote to that. He'll sleep well tonight. Ramsey also said if he gets less than six hours he's not to come back until he gets it," Caleb said.

Dean raised his eye brows waiting for the rest.

"None of us are staying actually. Ramsey said you'd rest easier if you didn't have to put up a front of being ok. Which, by the way, if that's the truth it's another thing I'm going to be kicking your ass for later. There's no need for that," Caleb said.

Dean waved for the notepad again.

"Just shut up and get better," Caleb huffed.

The bathroom door opened and Sammy came out.

"Sammy put this on. We're going," Caleb said as he took Sammy's jacket out of the bag and held it up for him.

"What?" Sammy said. "No I wanna stay with Dean."

"Doc's orders," Caleb said.

"But he let me stay before," Sammy protested.

"His orders were Sammy leaves at the end of visiting hours, which is 7pm, which was twenty minutes ago. Make sure he eats something. He needs six to eight hours sleep. Then he can come back and see his brother," Caleb said and crossed his arms. "No one stays tonight. The worst is over."

"Well that's close but it wasn't snarly," Ramsey said coming into the room with Jim. "Sammy you need to rest to help heal that concussion. You need to get better to help with your brother and I know you want to stay. But Dean's awake and knows what's going on."

Dean snapped his fingers and motioned at Caleb.

Caleb handed over the notepad.

They all watched Dean scribble something onto the paper and hand it to his brother.

Sammy read it and looked up at Dean. "But I want to stay with you."

Dean pointed at the notepad.

"You so can't take me with that tube. I'm staying," Sammy said crossing his arms.

Caleb moved slightly closer to the doctor. "Watch this," he murmured.

Dean motioned him closer and snatched back the notebook. He scribbled something else and gave it back to his brother.

Sammy laughed then handed his arm over to his brother.

Dean took a firm hold of the cast and drew quickly to make sure he got it all in before his little brother pulled away.

Sammy yanked his arm back and looked at his brother's handiwork.

Ramsey leaned slightly closer to Caleb. "Why does Dean look relieved? I thought he'd be upset Sammy is leaving."

"He's not happy," Jim said very softly on the other side of Ramsey.

Caleb shrugged. "Some days I don't know what happens between those two."

"HEY!" Sammy yelled. "You can't write that! It's gross."

Dean reached up and smacked Sammy on his shoulder.

Sammy looked back and in time to see Dean give him a wink.

"Dean!" He whined then turned to Caleb. "Look at what he did!"

Caleb struggled to keep a straight face then easily sobered as he realized what happened. He looked up and caught Dean's eye. He gave him a serious nod. "Yeah I see it Sammy."

Sammy scrunched up his nose in confusion.

"Put your coat on squirt," Caleb said softly.

"Fine," Sammy said realizing he wasn't going to get his way no matter what. He struggled to get into his jacket and stepped back closer to Dean when Caleb tried to help him.

Dean grabbed his arm and gave him a look. The patented Dean Winchester 'behave yourself - you're pissing me off' look.

"Ok Dean," Sammy said and let Caleb help him put on his jacket.

Dean gave him a pat on his back after Caleb was done.

Sammy turned and looked at his brother. "Can't I stay?"

Dean blinked twice almost regretfully. He knew that wanting Sammy to stay was purely selfish and his brother needed to go. Sammy needed a break and even try to have some fun with Caleb.

"Kay Dean," Sammy said and leaned down to give his brother an awkward hug then left the room.

Dean watched him go wishing he could go with him or his little brother could stay. He may be sixteen years old but there had been very few times in his lifetime where he'd been without his little brother. He was always watching over him and doing things for him. He preferred to keep Sammy near him when he was hurt or sick.

"See you tomorrow Dean," Pastor Jim said.

Dean gave him a thumbs up and a wink.

Jim gave him a half smile making a mental note to check the cast later to see what was on it. Then he left the room with Ramsey following him.

Caleb put his hands on his hips as he looked down at Dean. "Clever."

Dean gave him a half hearted shrug.

"Protection sigils between naughty pictures? Interesting choice with my father here," Caleb said.

Dean looked up at Caleb and lifted his eyebrows twice.

Caleb snorted slightly then shoved his cell phone into the teen's hands.

Dean looked at it then back up to Caleb.

"Oh come on. Just use speed dial 1. Calls the motel. Push 1 for can't sleep. 2 for nightmare," Caleb said.

Dean blinked twice and tried to give the phone back to Caleb.

"Look Dean I know you can't talk but how different can it be when you call me and make me guess what's wrong?" Caleb asked. "Just use it if you need it. Ok?"

Dean rolled his eyes but inside he didn't know if he wanted to hug him or scream at him. He blinked once.

"Now was that so hard?" Caleb asked.

Dean blinked once.

Caleb laughed softly. "Yeah man I know," he said and put a hand on the sixteen year olds shoulder.

Dean closed his eyes and tried to relax.

"See you tomorrow. Try to get some rest," Caleb said.

Dean opened his eyes and blinked once. He pointed at Caleb.

"Yeah I'll try," he said before turning and leaving.

Dean looked around the room. The only sound to keep him company was the beeping of the heart machine. _I should have kept Sammy here._


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **Supernatural and all of its characters do not belong to me. They belong to the wonder Eric Kripke and his wonderful cast and crew. No characters were actually hurt in the making of the story and no money was made.

**Author's Notes:** First MAJOR apologies on making you all wait for this chapter. Now that the Christmas and New Years parting is over, and work has settled down a bit, I will have more time to write. Thanks out to lynxlan and to Heather for their betaing on this chapter. I have made a few adjustments after getting it back so any left over errors are mine.

This chapter leads directly into the Chapter 17. There is some swearing ahead. Let me know what you think.

Hope you like the chapter and that it was worth the wait.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 16**

By infinite shadow

Jim pulled up to the motel room and turned off the motor. He glanced into the rear-view mirror to check on Sammy. The boy hadn't said one word or even made as much as a peep since leaving the hospital. The glare had stayed firmly in place though.

Caleb got out and opened Sammy's passenger door. "Come on princess."

Sammy sighed heavily and got out of the car.

Jim hid a smile as he got out and headed for their room. He unlocked the door and looked back to see what was keeping the young ones. Caleb and Sammy seemed to be in the midst of a glaring contest. "When you gentlemen are through with that I'll be in here," he said. With a shake of his head he went into the room and left the door open.

Sammy heard the pastor and shoved Caleb before heading towards the room. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. He should have argued more, but Dean seemed so sure. He wished he thought this was the right decision, but he didn't want to leave his big brother behind. Dean had always been there for him and this time he could have returned the favour if the adults had let him. His brother hated to be alone in the quiet. Dean would be going crazy five minutes after being left alone. "This sucks!" He yelled as he entered and stopped just inside the room.

"Sammy, help me pull out the bed here," Jim said purposely ignoring the young man's outburst.

Caleb came into the room with Sammy's bag and ruffled his hair as he walked past him.

"Hey!" Sammy yelled as he tried to push off Caleb's hand.

"Close the door Sammy," Jim said.

Caleb dropped the bag onto the table, pulled out a chair, sat down and immediately put his feet up onto the table.

Jim glanced up at his own son, wondering about his antics but didn't comment on it. "Sam? A little help here as this is where you'll be sleeping."

Sammy looked over to the pastor and slumped slightly before looking down to the floor.

"Caleb? Why don't you make yourself useful and go get some dinner," Jim said.

"Nope. I'm in charge of Sammy. Not letting him out of my sight. Something happens to him and John will kill me. We're talkin full on dismemberment here," Caleb said as he gave his father a smile and let his feet dropped to the floor with a thunk. "Let me finish that and you go get dinner."

Jim nodded. "Fine."

Caleb went over to the pullout bed and began to put the sheets on it. Jim had moved over to where his jacket was and pulled out his wallet to check how much money he had.

Sammy looked at both of them and realized neither one were really paying attention to him. He pulled his sore arm towards his chest. He ran his fingers over his brother's handiwork on his cast and the need to be with his brother was suddenly overwhelming. He turned and ran out of the room. If they wouldn't take him back he'd find the hospital himself!

Jim looked over and saw the boy run out the door. "Sammy!"

Caleb dropped the sheets and took off after the boy.

Sammy had made it to the street and ran as fast has he could as far away from them as he could.

"Hey!" Caleb yelled as he closed the distance between the two.

Sammy glanced over his shoulder and saw Caleb closing the distance too fast. Without thinking he stepped out into the street and found himself yanked back onto the sidewalk as horns blared around him.

"Lemme go!" Sammy yelled and tried to yank himself out of Caleb's grasp.

"Stop it!" Caleb yelled. "What the hell is the matter with you! You could've been killed!"

Sammy stopped fighting and wrapped his arms around himself and hung his head. He began to shake under Caleb's hands and tears began to fall down his cheeks. "Dean. I have to get back to Dean."

Caleb sighed and pushed away his anger. He pulled Sammy into an awkward hug. "Dean's fine."

Sammy shook his head and tried to push away but Caleb wouldn't let go.

"Sammy, listen to me," Caleb said. "Dean is going to be fine. We'll be back first thing in the morning."

"Please Caleb," Sammy asked. "Go back now."

"No Sammy. I'm sorry," Caleb said softly. "Now back to the room. But so help me if you pull this shit again I will tie you down to the bed, understood?"

Sammy frowned and looked up at Caleb who was smiling down at him.

"Now then, let's go before Dad has a heart attack," Caleb said as he put his arm around Sammy and steered him back towards the motel.

"Fine," Sammy said.

Caleb kept his arm lightly around Sammy until they got back into the room.

"Ah there you boys are," Jim said easily but looking worried. "I ordered up some dinner."

"Not hungry," Sammy said as he sat down on the end of a bed.

"Sammy," Caleb said a warning in his voice.

The thirteen year old sighed. "Maybe I'm a little hungry," he said softly.

"Good," Jim said. "I'll go pick up the food."

They watched the pastor leave. Caleb got up and took a plastic bag off the counter. He grabbed a roll of duck tape out of his bag and sat next to Sammy on the bed.

"I don't want a shower," Sammy said petulantly.

"Well dude I gotta tell ya you could use one," Caleb said as he put the plastic bag over Sammy's cast and taped it in place.

Sammy glared at him.

"Look just go get cleaned up a bit. By the time you're done Dad will be back with dinner," Caleb said. "Don't get that wet. If you need help."

Sammy snorted. "I can shower by myself," he huffed.

"Yeah I'm sure you can but if you need some help just holler," Caleb said.

Sammy stood up but didn't move towards the bathroom. He bit his lower lip slightly. "Caleb?"

"Yeah Sammy?" Caleb answered as he stood up and put the duct tape on the counter then turned to look at the boy.

The teen looked at him for a moment then shook his head. "Nothin. I'll be right out."

Caleb waited until the bathroom door quietly clicked closed before slowly sitting on one of the beds. His hands dangled between his knees and he wasn't surprised to see how badly they were shaking.

0000000000000

Dean stared at the door hoping someone would come in. Everyone had left after Sammy had gone and he was bored and alone. The room was quiet, too quiet. He looked up at the ceiling again and started to count the tiles but lost count after thirty. Cursing silently he gave into defeat. _Must be the medication. He'd always been able to count a full room of tile holes before without having a problem._

_A mural would look great on the wall,_ he mused. _A little something to make fun of. Or a book. He wished someone had brought him a book, any book, to take away the boredom._ A book would keep his hands busy as they were itching to touch the breathing tube. He wasn't going to pull it out it just felt really weird.

He looked over at the heart monitor and the breathing machine. He wished that he had something to cover the beeping and hissing noises the machines made.

Curiosity began to get to him and he watched the door as he cautiously brought his hands up and touched the plastic tubing. He looked down is nose at it.

"I thought we agreed that it would be staying put for now," Ramsey said as he came into the room.

Dean jumped slightly and immediately pulled his hands away from the breathing tube. He held his hands out in front of him as if to stop Ramsey from doing anything to him.

Ramsey grinned at him. "You're curious. It's normal," he said as he put a box down on the table next to the bed.

Dean slowly put his hands down in relief. At least he wasn't going to be tied down again.

Ramsey sat on the edge of the bed. "All right. This is a simple piece of plastic tubing that goes down into your trachea. It holds the little flap open that covers your breathing tube and the tube that goes into your stomach. That way we can pump oxygen in to help you breathe without resistance. On this end here it goes into this machine that regulates how much oxygen you are receiving. This wire here that is connected to your finger tells us how much oxygen is in your blood and sends that info into the machine. If you are not receiving enough then the machine takes over for a bit to make up the difference."

_Huh. Ok. Cool. But really I couldn't care less what it does. All I want you to do it remove the stupid thing. Now what's in the box? _Dean thought as he looked over at the table.

"Yeah. This took a little longer to gather together, but I thought you might enjoy this," Ramsey said taking a small radio out of the box. "I spoke to your Dad earlier and he mentioned you preferred the good stuff."

Dean raised an eyebrow. _I don't believe you know what the good stuff is. _To his delight and amazement The Eagles Hotel California came out of the radio static free. He looked at the doctor in surprise.

"It's a 70's rock and a little 80's metal station but I think you'll survive," Ramsey said. "I was also able to scrounge up a couple of novels. You good with these?"

Dean took the books from the doctor again pleasantly surprised. _Tom Clancy and Clive Cusler? How could I not be good with these?_ The sixteen year old looked up at the doctor and blinked once.

Ramsey smiled as Dean looked down at the books again and read the back of the books. "Dean is there anything else you'd like?"

Dean looked up again at the doctor and put the books down on the bed. _Yeah. My little brother and the tube out of my throat so I can talk to him._ He settled on blinking twice.

Ramsey nodded seeing the sad look in the teen's eyes. "Look if you relax and have a good night's rest with good readings we may be able to take the tube out tomorrow night."

Dean blinked once.

"But if you have a bad night the tube stays in," Ramsey said to ensure the teen knew the difference.

Dean rolled his eyes and held his hands up. He waited for Ramsey to stop talking before miming writing like he had with Caleb.

"I knew I was forgetting something," The doctor muttered to himself. He reached into the box again and pulled out a pad and pencil. He handed them to Dean.

The boy eagerly took the pad and pen. He flipped it open and his eyes grew wide with surprise.

Ramsey chuckled. "Yes those are teddy bears with hearts and butterflies. It was that or unicorns, rainbows and cherubs in the gift shop."

Dean closed his eyes. _This is not happening. I am going to wake up in some cheesy motel room with Sammy sleeping nearby. _He repeated that three times before he opened his eyes again.

"Dean?" Ramsey said.

_Crap._ He looked up at the doctor.

"Tell you what. I'll bring in something different tomorrow. Just use it for now, ok?"

Dean blinked once. _Caleb is never going to let me live this down. _He scribbled a note on it then gave it to his doctor.

Ramsey read the note then looked at his watch. He scratched his head as he considered Dean's request. "I can check on your father easily enough. But it's after nine. I'm sure Sammy will be in bed.

Dean waited until Ramsey looked at him and blinked twice. He reached out and gave him Caleb's cell.

"You shouldn't have this you know," Ramsey said. "It'll screw with your machinery and others in the rooms around yours."

Dean took the note pad and scribbled another note.

Ramsey sighed as he read it. "All right. I'll get the number from the cell and run a phone in here. But it will take a few minutes."

_Fine but why are you hesitating? Dean wondered._

"Tell you what. While I get maintenance to set that up I'll check on your father. Shouldn't take more than ten minutes." Ramsey said.

Dean blinked once and took the pad back to make another note.

Ramsey chuckled as he read the note. "Now that I can do, but not until you get the tube out."

0000000000000

Ramsey walked into John's room.

"Hey Doc," John greeted as he wrapped the hospital robe around himself.

"Got your drainage tubes out," Ramsey noticed. "How do you feel?"

"Much better. Still sore but at least I'm back to being mobile again," John said. "Actually I was on my way to see Dean."

Ramsey nodded. "He is the reason I'm here."

John paled slightly. "He's all right isn't he? Did he have a setback?"

"No. No setback, nothing like that. Not at all," Ramsey said shaking his head.

John sat down on his bed relieved. "Then what?"

Ramsey smiled slightly. "He's worried about you and you're youngest. Also he's bored silly. I hope you don't mind but I bought him a few novels and lent him my radio."

"No. In fact you may want to keep him busy," John said. "That boy will think himself in circles until he has a panic attack."

"Is he prone to those?" Ramsey asked.

"Well only in extreme cases. He's not accustomed to being this still for so long. He's also used to looking after his little brother," John said softly. "Maybe separating them wasn't a good idea."

"I was beginning to wonder that myself," Ramsey admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "However I stand by my decision. Dean's looking more relaxed and his readings are looking better. But I am allowing a quick call to check on Sammy."

John frowned. "Why?"

"Mostly because I don't want to sedate Dean in order for him to get some sleep tonight," Ramsey said. "If a call to Sammy will allow him to sleep then I'm all for it. Dean was pretty adamant that Sammy wouldn't be asleep yet so I don't see any harm in the call."

John nodded. "You may be right. I wouldn't mind checking on both of them too."

"Well then allow me to get a wheel chair," Ramsey began to offer.

"No need. I'll walk," John said standing up.

"You sure?" Ramsey asked.

"Yeah. Let's go," John said.

0000000000000

Sammy picked at his plate of food that had been put in front of him. Part of him appreciated that Pastor Jim had gone to the trouble of getting his favourite meal. But part of him was mad as hell that no one had taken him seriously and dragged him back to the motel. He shouldn't have left Dean alone. Sure he was fine with Pastor Jim and Caleb but it wasn't the same. Dean needed him. He just knew it and he was here. It just wasn't fair!

Caleb had been watching his young charge pick at his food for the last ten minutes. Not one bit of the home-style meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy had made it into the boy's mouth. Now it was in mutilated pieces and look like some kind of abstract art. After trying to get his attention for the last few minutes without success he couldn't stand it.

"Sam," Caleb said as he touched the boys arm.

Sam looked up, startled, and dropped his fork in surprise. Caleb hardly ever yelled at him and he'd just done it for the second time that night. His heart pounded in surprise and he could feel the burn of tears in his eyes.

"I didn't do anything!" Sammy yelled as he stumbled to his feet.

"Easy. I know that buddy," Caleb said and looked to his father for help.

"Sammy, sit down," Jim said calmly. "Eat a little supper."

Sam took a few steadying breaths and rubbed his fists at his eyes.

"Come my boy. Just a few bites then off to bed," Jim said softly. "Things will be better in the morning."

Sam's hands dropped as Pastor Jim's words washed over him. The same words that Dean had often used when Dad had been away. Slowly he sank back into his chair and picked up his fork.

"There now," Jim said gently as he patted Sammy on his shoulder. He could feel the youngster tremble slightly under his hand and he gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.

Sam sighed and shoved a small forkful of food into his mouth. It was tasteless and cold. He grimaced as he swallowed.

0000000000000

Dean looked up from the book he was reading as Ramsey came into the room. His eyes lit up as his father followed the doctor.

"Hey Dean," John said with a slight grin. "I hear you're stirring up some trouble."

_Absolutely! _Dean thought knowing his father wasn't serious but gave his most innocent 'who me' look.

"Actually he's given us less trouble than other patients," Ramsey said.

"Don't tell him that. He'll just stir up some more trouble," John said affectionately at his son.

_Hey all I want is to check on my family. You look fine. Now how about bringing back Sammy?_

"Hey Doc," a maintenance man said as he walked into the room. "Where do you want it?"

"On the table next to the bed Daniel," Ramsey said as he made a slight adjustment to Dean's equipment. "Thanks for getting this to us so quickly."

"Not a problem," Daniel said as he put the phone down and pulled a cable out from his back pocket. "Hey are you still coming tomorrow? Janet's worried you're gonna bail on us again."

"Nah. I'll be there. Tell your wife not to worry. I'll make it to dinner this time," Ramsey said.

"You should be the one worrying," Daniel shot back as he knelt down to the floor to plug in the phone. His voice was muffled by the table. "She's a lousy cook."

"Now I can't believe that," Ramsey said as he looked up from the monitor. "You seem healthy and well fed."

"Make my own breakfast and lunch. It's much safer," Daniel said as he stood up. He picked up the receiver and confirmed it was working. "It's good to go. You folks have a good night and a speedy recovery to all."

"Thanks," John said.

Daniel gave them a smile and nod before leaving the room.

"Ready to call your brother?" John asked.

Dean blinked once. _Hell yeah. Start dialing!_

"Dean this is a quick call. Then lights out," Ramsey cautioned.

_Fine_. Dean thought as he blinked once.

0000000000000

"Sammy, come on. Just get into bed," Caleb said feeling his patience quickly fleeting. "Why are you being so friggin difficult?"

Jim sat at the table calmly looking through the paper. While Sammy's behaviour had been troubling Jim knew the boy was listening to Caleb as best he could. But any minute now his knew his own son would snap and he would need to step in. And he would as soon as he finished reading the funnies.

"No! I'm going back!" Sammy yelled then rubbed at his head.

"Yeah you are," Caleb said as he nodded.

"You'll take me?" Sammy asked in surprise.

"Yeah. In the morning," Caleb said doing his best not to yell. "Sammy look."

"No you look!" Sammy yelled then cradled his head in his hands and whimpered.

"Samuel," Jim said as he stood up and went to the boy. "Sit on the bed."

"No," Sammy said petulantly.

"Now listen to me," Jim said softy. "I understand you are hurting my boy. But you need to listen to us. We only want what's best for you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Sammy said softly.

"Ok then. Sit down and take your meds," Jim said seeing Caleb move over to the table and pick up the white pills that had been sitting there for over an hour. Sammy had been refusing to do anything that had been asked of him including taking his medications. Caleb got fresh water and brought it over to the boy.

Sammy slowly sat down on the bed. It just wasn't fair. His head hurt so much. He needed his big brother here to make everything better.

"Sammy, take them," Caleb said softly holding out the water and meds.

Sammy sighed softly and took the pills. He gave the almost full glass of water back to Caleb.

"Now lie down and try to get some rest," Jim said and almost smiled as Caleb yawned.

"Not tired," Sammy said struggling to keep his eyes open.

The phone rang and Caleb reached over and picked it up. "Yeah."

"Hello. This is Doctor Ramsey. I was wondering if Sammy is still awake."

"He's still up," Caleb said.

Ramsey chuckled slightly. "Giving you some grief huh?"

"Lots of it," Caleb said.

"Part of his concussion I'm afraid. See if he'll talk to me?"

"Sure," Caleb said and looked over at Sammy. "Doc's on the phone for you."

Sammy's eyes widened in horror. "Dean," he whispered.

"Don't be like that. Talk to the doctor," Caleb said and thrust the phone into the thirteen year olds hands.

Sammy stared at it for a second before swallowing hard and putting the receiver to his ear. "H-hello?"

"Hey Sammy. It's Doctor Ramsey. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Dean ok?" Sammy asked.

"Yes. There's been no change since you left earlier today. How are you feeling?" Ramsey asked again frowning at the tremor in the teen's voice.

"Head hurts," he admitted and when Ramsey asked when he'd taken him meds last he blushed. "Just now."

"You need to take them on time. It will help with the headache. Ok?" Ramsey said.

"OK," Sammy said softly.

"Dean and your father wanted to make sure you were ok before going to sleep. So I will pass you over to your dad, ok?" Ramsey said.

"Yeah," Sammy said then heard some shuffling as the phone was passed over.

"Hey Sammy," John said.

"Hi Dad," Sammy said sure that he was in trouble.

"You're not giving Caleb and Jim too much trouble, are you?" John asked.

"I'm trying," he said softly.

"I know you are. Just do as they ask and I'll see you in the morning ok Little Man?" John said.

"Yes sir," he said softly blinking back tears.

"Good boy. I want you to go to sleep after you hang up," John said.

"Yes sir," Sammy said again. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm much better tonight Sammy," John said. "Dean's been worried about you so I'm going to pass the phone over."

"Kay. Thanks Dad," he said.

Dean took the phone and gave his Dad a look. He'd gotten what he wanted, but he didn't know how this was going to work. He could hear talking in the background.

"Hey Dean," Sammy said softly. "Caleb says to push 1 for yes and 2 for no."

_Good ol' Caleb._ Dean thought and pressed the 1 button.

"Ow. Ok it works," Sammy said as he held the phone away from his ear slightly. "Are you ok?"

Dean pressed 1. _No._

Sammy was quiet for a second and sighed. "You're lying. But that's ok. You're just trying to protect me. This totally blows Dean. I want to be there so I can watch out for you."

Dean's eyebrows furrowed and he pressed 2. _Stay with Jim and Caleb Sammy. I can't protect you like this._

Sam sighed again. "I could you know but they won't bring me back."

_Don't you dare make a run for it Sammy. _Dean's machine began beeping a warning as his blood pressure began to rise.

John looked up from the book he was thumbing through. "Dean, take it easy."

"Dean?" Sammy said softly. "You ok? That doesn't sound ok."

Dean pushed the 1 button and closed his eyes to try and calm down. He felt his Dad take the phone out of his hand.

"Sammy?" John said.

"Dad what happened?" Sammy asked his voice trembling slightly.

"It's all right. Dean's blood pressure went up a bit," John said.

Dean grabbed the note pad and scribbled down a note then shoved it at his dad.

"He's ok though," John said as he took the note and read it. "Sam, Dean says to stay put and he'll see you in the morning. And if he hears you've been making trouble he won't be very happy with you."

"Fine," Sammy grumbled. "But I'd rather be there with him."

"I know son," John said softly. "Look just try to get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

"Kay Dad. Good night," Sammy said reluctantly then hung up the phone.

John heard the click and hung up his receiver. "Sammy said he'll stay, he'll do his best to stop making trouble and he'd rather be here," he said to Dean.

Dean shook his head slightly and stared up at the ceiling.

"Hey you need to get some sleep Dean," John said.

Dean looked at his father and blinked twice.

John handed him back the note pad. "Tell me what you need."

Dean wrote out the note and he couldn't look at his Dad as he passed it back.

John read it and nodded. "We can dim the lights and keep the radio on. No problem."

Dean stared down at the sheet that covered him.

"I'm not going anywhere for a while Dean," John said as he reached out to touch his oldest son's arm. He gave it a quick squeeze. "Stop worrying about your little brother."

Dean finally looked up at his dad. _How do you know I'm worrying about him?_

"Sammy's in good hands," John said softly with a slight smile. "Consider yourself off duty for once. Close your eyes and go to sleep."

Dean pursed his lips for a moment then nodded slightly. He closed his eyes and wished it was morning already.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything supernatural related, except for the thing under my bed and in my closet. Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke, the WB, the CW, and the respective teams of all.

**Author's Note**: Thanks for your patience. Here is chapter 17, chapter 18 has already been sent for beta.

There is lots of swearing ahead and very upset teens. Consider yourself forewarned. Also, just like previous chapters Dean's thoughts are in italics.

Initially this was over 20 pages so it has been broken into two chapters. Apologies from the start about the evil cliffhanger but it could not be helped. As soon as I get chapter 18 back and it is post ready it will be on the site. This story is almost complete and should be 19 or 20 chapters in all.

I hope this was worth the wait and again it goes right into chapter 18. Let me know what you think.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 17**

**By infinite shadow**

Dean found himself standing in the living room of the house he'd been abandoned at. There were holes in the walls, garbage was everywhere, and the couch was still upended with its innards spilled out all over the floor.

"How'd I get back to this dump," Dean muttered as he looked around the room in disgust and realized that his ankle felt remarkable light.

He looked down at himself and was surprised he was fine. No cast, no bandages and most importantly no pain. He wasn't hurt. He bounced experimentally up and down with a slight goofy grin on his face. "Well what do you know about that?" He mused as he looked at his un-bandaged arm and twisted it and flexed his fingers.

His eyes landed on a stack of drywall that had broken and pieces lay strewn around it. He glared at the offensive material. "I am so not doing this over again."

He kicked a broken and jagged piece of dry wall. He watched it roll, bounce and skitter into a corner of the room. It left nothing but a trail of dust and small chunks across the room. He glanced around the large living room and shook his head at the mess.

His heart stuttered almost painfully against the memories that slammed into his head. This was the house where he'd been beaten so badly that he had no recollection of leaving it. Squaring his shoulders he turned towards the door. There was no friggin way he was sticking around.

Muffled words, thumps and yelps of pain could be heard coming from further in the house. He turned back, took a slight step towards the hallway and stopped.

He had to be dreaming. It was the only logical reason for him to be here. So really he didn't need to go down the hall to see what was happening. It wasn't as if he was walking away from a fight. He'd been through it once already; he didn't need to see it in Technicolor.

Nothing was stopping him from leaving this sty so really he could walk out of here right into the playboy mansion, or into a really hot chick's bedroom. Just a hot and well endowed brunette would do. He really wasn't picky about where or who.

He walked up to the door and was reaching for the handle when he heard Sammy cry out in pain. Immediately he turned and hurried down the hallway. His heart stuttered slightly in apprehension. He was about to see the very place he'd been pummeled so bad he didn't remember being rescued from.

As he stood in the door way to the room his heart stuttered painfully again as he realized the punks were back. This time instead of beating him up they were beating Sammy. Pride filled him as he realized how much of a fight his little brother had put up against people almost twice his size and strength.

He couldn't get a clear view of his brother, or the kids crowding around the fight. It didn't matter. He didn't need to see their faces. They wouldn't be standing when he was done with them. They were about to learn what happened to people who messed with his little brother.

Several shadowed figures turned in Dean's direction. They shuffled their feet and murmured nervously. They seemed to shift to the sides and then Dean had a clear view of the fight.

The punk fighting his little brother must have been six foot five, lean and light on his feet. The man didn't turn but kept his focus on Sammy and threw a punch.

Sammy ducked under the swing, lunged in for one of his own and gasped as he was hit and he fell to the floor. He landed hard on his side and rolled slowly onto his back. Moonlight through the bedroom window lit his face in an odd bluish white colour. His bloody face scrunched up in pain as his arms wrapped protectively around his stomach.

The thirteen year olds face was already showing bruises, his clothes were ripped and torn, his shoulder looked out of place and a bone was sticking out of his lower leg. All of his clothing was stained with blood.

"Son of a bitch," Dean ground out as his eyes widened and his face paled slightly in anger.

"Kid this is the day you die," the man growled as he pulled back slightly and kicked Sammy in the ribs.

"HEY! Get off him!" Dean yelled as he pushed past the crowd and pulled the man towards him and off his brother. "I'm going to kick all your asses! Starting with you."

"Let's get out of here!" One of the kids in the shadows yelled and they all ran. All except one man.

The man looked Dean up and down. He gave a cocky half smile and nodded.

Fuelled by anger Dean got off the first swing which was easily blocked by his opponent. Then he blocked one and followed up with a punch to the punks face. He grinned as the man staggered back a couple of steps. "I'm just getting started, bitch."

The man touched the corner of his mouth and looked down at his hand. He spat out the remaining blood and grinned. "You die first then the kid. I can live with that," he said cockily.

Then Dean was swinging, blocking, and kicking in such quick succession that he didn't realize he'd been hit until he'd hit the floor. The man jumped up and tried to land on Dean's chest but the sixteen year old rolled twice and jumped to his feet.

"That all you got princess?" Dean taunted as he saw his little brother try to get to his feet. "Stay put Sammy. This will only take a minute."

It was a rookie mistake. He'd broken the number one rule in fighting when he'd spoken to his brother. He'd turned his attention away from his opponent for one or two seconds. Just enough time to hand over advantage to his opponent on a silver platter. As he turned back his chest was greeted with the flat side of a two by four.

Dean staggered back until he hit the wall and slid down it. He couldn't breathe and he took precious seconds to try to draw in a breath.

The man that had been beating up Sammy grabbed him and yanked him roughly to his feet.

"No," Sammy whimpered as he was slung over the punk's shoulder. "Dean, help!"

"Let him go!" Dean yelled as the guy that had his little brother ran out of the room. He used the wall to get to his feet and followed just a few steps behind them.

0000000000000

John was almost asleep in the hard plastic chair when his son's machines began beeping alarms in warning. Fear chilled him as he leaned forward and looked at Dean. His eyes were moving rapidly behind his eyes, he was sweating heavily and his body was jerking slightly.

"Just a dream son," John said hoping his words would get through to his oldest. He took Dean's clammy hand in his own warm one and gave it a squeeze. With his other hand he reached up and wiped away some of the sweat off of his forehead.

Pat the night nurse came rushing in. "What happened?" She demanded.

"It's a nightmare. He used to have them as a child just like this," John said with a sigh. "Always like this."

"I need to page Doctor Ramsey," Pat said as she looked at the readings. His heart was racing and his blood pressure was rising, but his vitals had been much worse when he'd come in. He wasn't critical yet. She rushed out of the room.

"What's happening?" Ramsey demanded as he rushed into the room a few minutes later.

"His vitals just started going crazy," Pat said.

"Turn off that alarm," Ramsey snapped.

"It's a nightmare," John said softly. "Look at his eyes."

Ramsey glanced at the boy's closed eye lids and picked up Dean's hand to manually take his pulse. He checked that Dean's movements hadn't pulled out any of his IV lines or moved his sensors knowing full well the nurse would have done it already. "Does he do this often?"

"No, not that I know of," John said softly.

Suddenly Dean's eyes were open and he was choking on the breathing tube as he arched up slightly from the bed. He landed heavily on his back as John and Ramsey tried to hold him down. Dean began thrashing as he fought against the hands on him.

_GET OFF ME! SAMMY! I HAVE TO FIND SAMMY. GET OFF ME! _Dean yelled as loud as he could as his eyes searched the room, but only managed to choke on his breathing tube. His eyes darted around the room taking no notice of the two men holding him down.

"Dean, stop it!" John said loudly as he tried to hold onto his son's arm.

Dean gagged again and with a lunge that took almost all his strength he wrenched his arm out of Ramsey's hold. Immediately his free hand went to the tube in his mouth and he started to pull as he bolted up into a sitting position.

_I'M GETTING THIS OUT AND THEN I'M KICKING ALL YOUR ASSES! SAMMY! SAAAMMY ANSWER ME!_

"Oh no you don't," John said as he sat down behind his son ignoring the fiery pain it caused in his chest. He reached around his son, grabbing his arms and pinning them against Dean.

Dean whimpered at being held down and continued to thrash and fight against the hold. _GET OFF ME! I'M KICKING YOUR ASS FIRST. LET GO!_

"Get me 10mg of Diazepam IV push. Now," Ramsey barked at the nurse.

"Yes doctor," she said then rushed out of the room.

John held onto his son and began talking softly. "Dean it's ok. It's Dad. I've got you. Everything's ok. Just relax son. I know you hate this but it's ok. You're safe. It's going to be ok. Just try and relax. Stop fighting me. It's ok," he said and continued to repeat himself.

_DAD?__ OH GOD. TELL ME YOU HAVE HIM! WHERE IS HE? DID YOU GET HIM? IS HE SAFE? WHERE'S SAMMY? _Dean demanded as he continued to frantically search the room for his little brother.

"Easy Dean. Stop fighting me. We're all safe. You had a nightmare. No matter what you dreamed it wasn't real. Sammy's with Jim and Caleb. I'm here and I'm not leaving you," John said and felt Dean begin to relax a little.

_But...__ But I saw them. They... THEY TOOK HIM. I WASN'T FAST ENOUGH. That's why you're holding me right? God! Oh God! SAMMY? SAMMY! WHERE IS HE?_

"Dean, calm down," John said feeling Dean tense back up again. "No matter what you just dreamed it wasn't real. Sammy's safe with Jim and Caleb. You're safe. Everything's ok."

_Sammy's ok? Oh thank god. _Dean started to relax as his father's words began to sink in. He closed his eyes and relaxed completely against his dad.

"That's it. Slow easy breathing Dean. You're doing great son," John said keeping a strong hold on him but relaxing it ever so slightly. "You're ok."

_Dad please I need to see him. I have to make sure he's ok. _Dean thought and he turned slightly towards his father's gravely voice.

"Slow and easy," John said as he closed his eyes for a moment and rested his cheek against the top of Dean's head. It had been so long since he'd held his oldest child and he didn't realize he had started rocking slightly from side to side. Just like he'd done when Dean had experienced night terrors as a child.

Ramsey watched in amazement as Dean began to settle and his head tilted slightly towards his father's voice.

Pat rushed up to him with the needle and grabbed Dean's IV. Just as she was about to insert the needle into the tube Ramsey reached out and stopped her.

"Thanks Pat, but I don't think we'll need it after all," Ramsey said calmly. If he didn't have to add any other substances to the boy's system then he wouldn't. There were enough drugs running through Dean without adding additional sedatives.

"Yes doctor," Pat said as she let go of the IV line. She looked down at the family and swallowed heavily. She'd been a pediatric intensive care nurse for almost twenty years and it still got to her some days. Knowing there wasn't anything else she could do for the time being she turned and quietly left the room.

Ramsey looked over and checked Dean's readings. His heart rate was slowing but his blood pressure remained elevated. He wasn't in the danger level but Dean would still need close monitoring to ensure his vitals returned to baseline. Fortunately Dean had improved enough that he could give father and son a few minutes of privacy. "John?"

John looked up at the doctor but continued to speak quietly to his son.

"I'll be right back," Ramsey said softly.

John nodded, grateful for a few minutes alone with Dean.

Ramsey stopped for a moment at the nurses' station to give a few directions and to thank Pat for her quick response. Then he headed to the cafeteria for a strong cup of coffee.

He'd give John a little time with his son before sending him back to his room.

The doctor frowned as he focused on the panic that had been in Dean's eyes. It had left him feeling shaking and unsettled. If he felt that way, it was no wonder Dean's blood pressure had gone sky high.

His young patient's eyes hadn't stopped scanning the room, looking for something or someone the entire time he'd been thrashing about. Ramsey yawned and shook his head as he absently filled his cup with coffee.

His hand slipped off the nozzle as the answer hit him like a jolt of ice water. "God I must be tired," he mumbled to himself. Dean had been searching for his little brother.

He quickly threw in some sugar and milk into the dark sludge and rushed out of the room.

0000000000000

Sammy looked back and fourth between Pastor Jim and Caleb. They didn't understand. How could they? They didn't have a Dean in their life. It was wrong that he was here and Dean wasn't. He had to get to his brother. Dean would make everything ok and stop the pain or make it bearable. It was what he did.

The thirteen year old watched Caleb take a step forward and he backed up right into the corner. "NO! You don't understand."

"Yeah Sammy. We get it. You want to be with Dean and you will be in a few hours. Just get back into bed, close your eyes and get some sleep. Before you know it we'll be on our way back to the hospital," Caleb said as calmly as he could. This battle had been raging on for over an hour and he still had no idea on how it began. He suspected a nightmare triggered it, but Sammy usually admitted to that when questioned. This time however, Sammy refused to answer and instead continued to plead with Caleb that he needed to get back to his brother.

"You're trying to keep us apart on purpose!" Sammy yelled. "Dean needed me and you made me leave!"

Pastor Jim took a calming breath. "Yes Sammy he needs you. Just as much as you need him. But you aren't in any condition to help him right now. Dean will be asleep. Sleeping is vital for him to heal, for you as well. If you go there you will wake him up and take him out of his much needed rest."

"You're lying! I wouldn't wake him up!" Sammy yelled back.

"Yeah you would Sammy," Caleb said. "You sigh in your sleep and he knows about it. Face it kid, when it comes to your brother, Dean's got supersonic hearing and is all knowing when it comes to you."

Sammy ran his face across his forearm smearing salty tears over his shirt sleeve. "Not true," he said petulantly.

Jim wearily rubbed a handover his eyes. Two in the morning and he knew there was no way Sammy would be going back to sleep. In all the years he'd known Sammy the boy had never acted out or behaved in this manner. Over the past hour he'd flipped back and forth between sad, angry, panicked and uncontrollable crying. Sammy's emotions were all over the place and he and Caleb still had no idea why.

The pastor knew the need to be with his brother came from being so scared, in pain, and confused. Dean had always been a safe haven for Sammy, and in some instances it worked both ways. Now when the siblings needed each other most they'd been torn apart by adults believing they had been doing the right thing.

Jim sighed heavily. Regardless, he was sure that the behavior was concussion induced. It was clear that the medication wasn't helping at all, and could even be the catalyst for the off behavior.

"Caleb, get his jacket and shoes. We're going back," Jim said.

"Can't go back until morning," Caleb said as he shook his head. "They won't let us in."

"His concussion isn't getting better," Jim said. "He needs to be looked at again. We'll go to the emergency room."

"N-no! No way!" Sammy yelled.

"Ok, ok," Jim said. "We'll go and see Dean, all right?"

Sammy looked from Jim to Caleb and his lower lip began to tremble. Tears began to fall down his cheeks again.

"Sam this needs to stop. This isn't like you," Caleb said gently.

"Sammy your medication isn't helping you. You know that Dean would hate to see you in pain and so upset. You can't help your brother in this condition." Jim hoped his words would push Sam into accepting their help.

Sammy whimpered slightly and sank down the wall. He was tired and confused. All he knew was he needed Dean and Dean needed him. He wanted his head to stop hurting so much.

"Look we'll go see Dean and Doctor Ramsey will be there. I know your head hurts and things feel all mixed up. I'm sure Doctor Ramsey can give you something to make you feel better."

Sammy cradled his sore arm against his chest. Caleb had said they couldn't go and now Pastor Jim was saying they could go. It must be a trick. They we're going to take him to emergency and leave him there. But they wouldn't do that, would they?

"Sammy, I promise we'll take you right up to see Dean. We won't need to go to emergency, ok," Jim said.

Sammy started to tremble and looked up at Pastor Jim. "I don't know what to do. Dean would know. Dean always knows but I can't... I don't... I need Dean," he whispered and his trembling changed to full out shaking.

"Sammy, I know what to do if you'll let me," Jim said and glanced over at Caleb as the phone rang.

Caleb huffed slightly and stomped over to the phone. "WHAT?" He yelled expecting it to be the motel manager.

"Hello. It's Doctor Ramsey. Is everything ok?" He asked.

Caleb looked over at the boy. "Sammy's having some trouble, but I'm sure you didn't call to check on him. Is Dean all right?"

The doctor was quiet for a moment weighing his words. "Dean's having some difficulties as well. I think it would be beneficial for both if you could bring Sammy back," Ramsey said.

"We're on our way," Caleb replied. He hung up the phone and grabbed Sammy's jacket.

"What is it?" Jim asked.

"Apparently neither of them is having a good night," Caleb said to his father and then looked down at Sammy. "Dean's ok Sammy, but Doctor Ramsey thinks it would be better if you went back to the hospital to be with your brother."

Sammy put his head in his hands for a minute. It felt like several jackhammers were boring into his skull.

"Hey," Jim whispered softly as he knelt next to the boy and gently touched his shoulder.

Sammy whimpered again and flinched at the gentle touch.

"Let's get your jacket and shoes on. Dean's waiting for you," Jim said softly. "Will you let me help you?"

Sammy looked up and squinted slightly. He rested his head back against the wall and looked at the pastor with red rimmed exhausted eyes. Knowing that Pastor Jim wouldn't do anything to hurt him or really lie to him he nodded. "OK," he whispered.

0000000000000

John was pretty sure Dean was asleep. His son was completely relaxed against him and his heart monitors now beat a regular rhythm.

He let go of Dean's arms in order to untangle himself and was surprised when Dean reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Want me to stay Dean?" John asked.

Dean didn't open his eyes or nod. He just gripped his dad's forearm a little harder.

"All right. I'll stay a bit longer," John said softly and relaxed back against the mattress. Dean may have been sixteen, but he was a very sick sixteen year old. He'd been put through hell because his father didn't have the forethought to protect him better. He was too worried about supernatural entities, not the everyday neighbourhood punk. He'd left his son alone and vulnerable in a house that could not be locked down. Dean had almost paid the ultimate price for his stupidity.

If he needed his father to stay with him, John had no problem with that. It was the least he could do to make up for screwing up this badly. "Go to sleep Dean."

Dean nodded making the back of his head move slightly against his father's chest.

It was rare to get peaceful moments with one of his boys. He ran them hard to keep them safe, but he ran himself even harder. He had to be one step ahead to keep them as safe as he could.

Sighing sadly, John ran his fingers through Dean's soft hair, providing comfort and reassurance for them both. Feeling Dean's hold slacken on his arm, John twisted slightly in the bed to get a better look at his son's face. Dean's eyes were closed, dark lashes sweeping his pale cheeks. Brushing his hand along the side of Dean's face John was confident that the crisis was over. Exhausted, he allowed his body to relax and his eyes slipped closed.

0000000000000

Sammy stood next to Caleb as he squinted up at the two security guards. They had stopped them just as they'd entered the hospital. Jim had been talking to them with his usual kind words and how he wished that the Pastor would just get on with it.

Sensing the boy's frustration, Caleb gently put his arm around Sam. The boy had been shifting his weight from foot to foot for the last five minutes. He hoped the boy would settle and not bolt on them again.

"Yes I realize that it's after visiting hours. But we received," Jim tried to explain again but got cut off.

"A call from Doc Ramsey. Which, in all honesty Pastor I have a hard time believing," one of the guards said.

Jim frowned. "Oh? Why is that?"

Caleb almost smiled. His father still sounded patient and calm, but any minute now that façade would be gone. The security guard would be introduced to the fire and brimstone version of his father. A slight chill ran down the length of his spine. He'd learned very quickly when he'd come to live with Jim that he had boatloads of patience, but once it was gone, it was time to duck and cover.

"Well Doc Ramsey basically wrote the rules about no visitors in PICU after hours," the other guard explained. "See the doc believes no matter how sick you are you put up a front to show the people around you that you're ok. By sending people home at the end of visiting hours everyone gets a break."

"Caleb," Sammy whined softly as he looked up at the man. He was tired and he wanted Dean and he wanted the pain to go away. Now.

"Yes I understand that," Jim said glancing down at Sammy before returning his attention back to the guard.

"Look there must be some exceptions to the rule," Caleb said tightening his hold slightly on Sam.

"Yes I suppose there could be," the first guard said. "But we were not notified of any exceptions tonight. You'll have to come back later this morning like everyone else."

"What?" Sammy gasped. No! He had to get to Dean. Now.

"I'm sorry. But those are the rules," the other guard said. "Besides you should be home in bed at this time of the morning."

"Now see here," Jim said stepping closer to the security guards.

Sam shoved hard at Caleb who stumbled back in surprise. Sam quickly followed with an elbow to Caleb's side and ran.

"Hey!" One of the guards shouted and then gave chase.

"Sammy!" Jim yelled as he put a hand on Caleb's back.

"Son of a," Caleb ground out, doubled over as he tried to get his breath back. He had a hand over his side trying to get a handle on the pain. "Go. I'm ok."

"No," the other guard said as he grabbed onto Jim's arm to keep him from following Sammy and the other guard. "You will remain here. The boy will be stopped and brought back."

Caleb forced himself up to his full height. "We're going to see Dean. Now."

"Caleb," Jim said with a slight warning in his voice.

Caleb wasn't listening. He had all the patience in the world for Sammy but this jerk was just getting in his way. "You can let us through nicely or we can go through you. Your choice."

The guard looked between the two angry men. He grabbed his walkie talkie. "This is Bains. Requesting backup…"

He was cut off as Caleb grabbed the device and tossed it into the corner.

"Pastor Jim. Caleb," Ramsey said as he came into the entry way.

"This clown won't let us in," Caleb said.

"I was just coming to get you cleared," Ramsey said and glanced around. "Where's Sammy?"

"Being chased by the other guard," Caleb said with a shake of his head.

"He's not doing well. He's been all over the map with his emotions and I don't think his pain killers are helping him either," Jim said. "He's also been trying to get back here since we left. If that guard corners him…"

"The man won't be walking away. John's taught those boys a lot in the way of self defense," Caleb finished.

Ramsey nodded. "Come with me," he said softly before turning and running towards Dean's room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** Just the standard. Not mine, just playin and I might give them back…. Eventually. Supernatural is owned and operated by Eric Kripke and co.

**Author's Notes:** So here it is. Hope the wait was worth it. Thanks out to lynxlan and heather for the betas on this and previous chapters. Both have come back with extremely good ideas or changes. But I've made a few more since getting it back so any leftover changes are mine. This one is a little on the long side but couldn't be helped. Only one or two chapters to go.

For those who have posted a review and I've not gotten back to you, I'm very sorry. I will be responding, free time has been extremely sparse of late. I will be catching up. For you lurkers out there I hope you are also enjoying the story. Thanks for stopping by.

**Soap Box Ramblings: **Yay for the new episode tonight! Don't forget to watch or PVR it. Sound the word, let all your friends know, even if they don't watch. Get the numbers up while we can and support our boys. Also don't forget to support our writers. Heather's got some great links on her profile. Check it out, she's listed on my favourites. I'll get off my soap box now. Hope you like the following chapter.

**Warnings**: There's some medical stuff ahead (blood, needles and stuff), upset boys and of course the comfort. This chapter finishes off what was started in chapter 16.

* * *

**Renovations **

**Chapter 18**

**By infinite shadow**

Pat looked up from the file she was working on at the nurses' station just in time to see a very pale and red eyed Sammy burst past the station and into Dean's room.

"Now what is that young one doing back here," Pat said softly.

Sammy skidded to a halt just inside his brother's room thentime seemed to grind to a halt. His jaw fell slightly as he saw his father holding Dean. Dad didn't give hugs, not usually. His heart stuttered as he realized Dean was gone. He'd left and his brother had died. What other reason was there that his father would be holding him like that?

A lone tear slowly built and then trickled down his already tear stained cheek. "Daddy?" He whispered as within his mind he began to scream.

Pat put down the file and was about to follow the boy into Dean's room when she got another surprise. A security guard flew into the ward.

"Where'd the kid go?" He demanded red faced and out of breath.

"This is a paediatric ward and I will not have you disturbing my patients," she said in a hushed but firm tone. It was the middle of the night and not time for antics like this.

"I said where is the kid Pat. I'm not joking here," the guard stated.

"He's in with his brother," Pat said with a shake of her head and pointed at Dean's room.

Without another word the guard hurried into the room.

"Hey!" She said loudly as she too gave chase.

"Got ya," the security guard said softly as he latched onto Sammy's arm.

Sammy yelled out from the stabbing pain in his arm that shot up into his shoulder and neck. The pain ripped him from his grief and launched him into hunter mode. The thirteen year old turned on the man that had a vice grip on his arm and began to throw punches and kicks, screaming in rage and pain as every punch and kick landed. This man had kept him back as his brother died. This man kept him from his superhero older brother that he was never going to talk to or do anything with again. Blind rage settled over him as he continued to throw punches, kicks and used every dirty fighting trick his big brother had ever taught him.

John's eyes bolted open at the tortured cries of his youngest.

"Stop fighting me kid," the guard growled as he tried to get a better hold on the crazed boy. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"Ow! Daddy help," he yelped his voice cracking over the words as the guard gave a little jerk on his sore arm. It sent a jolt of pain up through his shoulder, neck and back.

"Sammy?" He asked groggily as he blinked and looked around the room in confusion. His son was supposed to be safe in a motel with Jim and Caleb.

Exhausted from his earlier nightmare and in the throes of a drug filled sleep, Dean was slower to respond to his brother's plight. It was Sam's pain filled plea for help that forced the older boy from his slumber. It was his nightmare coming true, Sam was in trouble and he was unable to help. His heart monitor began beeping faster.

Pat came into the room, eyes wide with anger. "Just what do you think you are doing?" She demanded.

"Easy Dean," John said as he got up and helped Dean lie back. He pulled the cover back over his oldest son and his eyes burned with rage as he watched the guard manhandle his youngest. "You get your hands off my son!"

Dean settled back against the mattress and turned to see his brother fighting a uniformed man. Pulling back against the man's grip, Sammy was swinging with both hands. He winced as his brother landed a shot with his cast and howled in more pain. It didn't seem to slow his little brother down though as he followed up with a nasty kick to the guard's knee and a fist into the man's stomach.

Then his father was there and shoving the man back. Using language that would make a sailor blush, John followed his verbal assault with a physical attack. He continued to shove the guard hoping the man would loosen his hold.

Sammy's face scrunched up in pain and he whimpered slightly when the guard tightened his grip on his casted arm.

Trapped by hospital machinery, Dean was unable to come to the aid of his little brother and was instead forced to watch the ensuing battle. As he watched his little brother reached out to his father for help the sixteen year old was filled with a surge of adrenaline.

Sammy was his responsibility and he was getting him away from that fugly man. Then he would end him. Period.

Dean pushed back the blanket with one hand while the other pulled the heart monitor sensors off his chest. Then he yanked off the pulse oxomiter. Struggling against the breathing tube he attempted to simultaneously sit up and pull out his IV.

Beginning to tire already he took a moment to steady himself as both hands grasped the hated plastic tubing. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. Doubt against pulling out the tubing made him hesitate but another pain filled yelp from his little brother shoved that aside.

Taking a final deep breath he gagged and choked on the breathing tube as he struggled to pull it out. He felt it pull inch by inch up his trachea. Fiery pain left in its wake as it caught on sensitive soft tissue and left small tears on the way out.

Dean swallowed back blood and tried not to cry out in pain as the tubing finally cleared his airway. The sudden removal of the oxygen and the blood pooling in his throat left Dean feeling light headed and nauseous. Pausing a moment, he gagged and then vomited the blood onto his bed. With disgust he tossed the offensive tubing to the side glad to hear it rattle on the floor.

His brief bout of sickness sapped his remaining energy leaving Dean unable to move from the bed. Sammy's tears motivated him to try harder. Lowering the side rail of his bed, Dean managed to slide off the side of the mattress and onto his feet. He'd forgotten about his broken ankle and it clunked slightly sending jolts of pain up his leg as it touched the floor. The pain barely registered as his legs betrayed him as soon as he tried to stand up With nothing to hold onto Dean crumpled down to the floor.

"Sammy," he croaked, wincing at the raw pain in his throat. Swallowing, he grimaced at the coppery taste of blood in his mouth and on his lips. Panting with exhaustion and struggling to breathe, Dean looked to his family for help.

Unfortunately the battle over Sammy waged on. His Dad was yelling in the guard's face, giving the security guard a full military dressing down, marine style. Dean had been on the receiving end of his father's anger before and was happy to see a flash of fear cross the guard's face.

Dean tried to watch over Sammy but his vision was greying. Dark spots gathered causing the scene in front of him to blink in and out of focus.

He was relieved when he saw that his concussed brother had gotten away from the security guard. John's arm was now wrapped securely around his youngest as Sammy attempted to burrow into his side.

Dean flinched as fingers brushed his face. "Sammy," he whispered.

Blinking open eyes he didn't remember closing, he instead found Pat crouched in front of him.

"Dean? Oh dear," she murmured as she met pain filled eyes. She gently felt around his neck. "Can you breathe?"

Dean winced at the prodding and nodded.

"All right. I need to page the doctor and I'll be right back. Don't move, all right sweetie?" Pat said with a gentle hand on his upper arm.

Dean nodded again and watched her rush out of the room. He jumped as his father's voice started to rise in volume as the guard tried to defend himself. He closed his eyes for a moment to shut out the scene before him. The shouting he could take but he wished someone would turn off the alarms to his heart monitor.

After taking a few strained breaths Dean opened his eyes to see Pastor Jim and Caleb rush into the room with Doctor Ramsey a step behind them.

The screech of his alarms combined with the noise of a heated debate made Dean's head swim. The sounds jumbled together causing his head to pound and his stomach to roll. No longer hearing his little brothers cries Dean gave into the darkness.

Caleb watched with alarm as Dean's eyes slid closed and he slumped against the bed. Ignoring the fighting adults he rushed to his friend's side.

"Dean, come on buddy, no sleeping on the floor. Time to wake up." Getting no response he patted Dean on the cheek and continued to call his name.

Jerking awake, Dean found Caleb filling his line of vision. "Caleb," Dean croaked and swallowed another mouthful of blood.

"I leave you for a few minutes and everyone goes nuts," he muttered and sighed dramatically. He gave Dean a wink. "Just lay still buddy. Tell me you didn't pull out everything?"

Dean grimaced and shook his head. He wished he had though. The burning in his groin reminded him that his catheter tube was still there, just not exactly where it should be.

"Good thing," Caleb said as he reached out and gave Dean a slight squeeze on his shoulder. "Hang tight buddy. We'll get this sorted out real quick."

Dean nodded and closed his eyes. His exhaustion was almost too much to keep at bay. He forced them open as the shouting abruptly stopped and the alarm stopped screaming. He saw Caleb had pulled back and now Ramsey hovered over him.

"Dean just lay back," Ramsey said as he tried to assess his patient.

"Sammy," Dean whispered and swallowed against the raw pain in his throat as he rolled onto his back.

"He's fine and just outside the room with your dad," Ramsey said and glanced at Caleb. "I need to call an aid. Can you stay with him for a minute?"

"Yeah, no problem," Caleb said and was quiet as Dean looked up at him. "Don't worry. We'll have you tucked back into bed in a minute. Just need to get your sheets changed."

Dean gave a tired thumbs up and allowed his eyes to droop closed, glad that Caleb was there with him. "Sammy ok?" He whispered.

"Yeah. Well no," Caleb amended when Dean opened his eyes and glared at him. "His concussion seems to be getting the better of him tonight. He's been all over the place emotionally. The only thing he can focus on is getting back to you."

"Get him," Dean said.

"That's not such a good idea right now," Caleb informed.

"Why?" Dean asked confused.

"Well quite frankly dude you're a mess and you hurled all over your sheets. Sammy doesn't need to see that. He's upset enough as it is," Caleb said as gently as he could. "He'll be ok with your dad for a little bit. Just relax."

Dean started to disagree as shivers racked his body. The stress of the day along with laying on the cold floor taking their toll. Caleb took the blanket from the bed; glad it was still clean, and covered Dean with it.

"Better?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah," Dean whispered as his eyes fluttered shut.

Not knowing what else to do Caleb gently ran his hand up and down Dean's arm. He hoped it would help Dean to relax and to let him know he was still there even though the teen couldn't seem to keep his eyes open.

Ramsey appeared again a second later and placed an oxygen mask over Dean's nose and mouth.

Dean startled at the unexpected touch and tried to push off the mask. "No," he said as his breath fogged the clear mask. Frustration burned in him when Ramsey stayed his hand.

"Dean it's this or the breathing tube," Ramsey said.

Dean pulled his hand away. "This blows," he murmured.

Ramsey looked at Caleb. "I need you outside with everyone else for a little bit."

"Sure," Caleb said to Ramsey then turned to Dean. "Don't give them any more trouble."

Dean nodded and closed his eyes, too exhausted to argue or come up with any kind of comeback. He opened his eyes again and tiredly watched the aide change his bloody sheets.

Caleb came out of the room and joined everyone in the waiting area. He was a little surprised to see that John had taken Sammy to the far end of the waiting area and was talking softly to him with one hand on his back. Sammy was sitting next to him, staring blankly ahead with a hand clutching a piece of his father's hospital gown. The other arm was held protectively against his chest. He was extremely pale, his eyes red rimed and tears were still slowly falling down his cheeks.

With a heavy sigh Caleb sat next to his father waiting anxiously for the green light to go back into Dean's room.

0000000000000

The aide quickly finished changing the sheets and helped Ramsey get Dean up into the bed.

"Dean you with me buddy?" Ramsey asked softly.

"Yeah," Dean mumbled but kept his eyes closed. He felt something wet on his arm causing his eyes to blink open in surprise. Ramsey had cleaned the blood off his arm and was now wiping the back of his wrist with an alcohol swab.

"This will sting," Ramsey warned.

Dean didn't react but could feel the sting of the needle piercing his flesh and then the burn of the fluid being re-introduced into his system. He sighed and tried to clear his throat.

"Easy Dean," Ramsey said as he continued his exam. "Just a few minutes and I'll be done."

Dean closed his eyes and wished the doc was done already. A short while later he heard the doctor clear his throat but he kept his eyes closed. He really didn't want to know what he was going to do next.

"Well good news," Ramsey said.

Dean opened his eyes and wondered when Pat had entered the room. She gently lifted his head to place something cold onto the back of his neck. He tried to jerk away not wanting whatever it was.

"It's just a cold compress," Pat said softly. "It'll help stop the bleeding in your throat."

Dean nodded at her. "Can I move up?" He asked through the mask.

"I'm sorry dear. I didn't quite catch that," Pat said as she pulled the mask away from his face slightly.

"Can I sit up?" Dean asked again. He was tired of lying down and his chest felt like it weighed a ton.

"Sure," Pat said. She put the mask back into place and grabbed the control for the bed. Slowly she raised Dean to an almost sitting position.

Dean looked over and saw Dr. Ramsey add something to his IV line. "What?" He asked fogging up his mask and gestured at the IV line.

"Oh it's just a steroid to help reduce the inflammation in your airway along with morphine for the pain I'm sure you're feeling after that attempt to get out of bed," Ramsey said.

Dean shifted slightly to get more comfortable. He nodded his thanks at Pat for letting him sit up more.

"Thanks Pat," Ramsey said.

Pat nodded and left the room.

"Ok Dean," Ramsey said as he finished making notes in the file then put it on the small table by the bed. "We need to have a few rules here."

"We do?" Dean croaked out.

Ramsey nodded. "What you did here was foolhardy. You could have done serious damage to yourself setting back your recovery time by days if not weeks. You are very lucky that you are not haemorrhaging after the trauma you inflicted on your trachea and throat. That trauma also could have caused your airway to collapse requiring a much longer hospital stay. So, since you seem to find trouble, I need to lay down some ground rules."

Dean pursed his lips under the mask. "I had to get to Sam. That man was hurting him," he said trying to defend his actions.

Ramsey frowned. He pulled the mask down so it rested on the boy's chest. "Can you repeat that?"

"I had to get to Sam. The man was hurting him," he said hoarsely.

"Well as noble as that is, the truth is you are a very lucky young man at the moment. To ensure you start to heal properly this is what's going to happen," Ramsey said sternly. "First you will not pull out anything or try and take anything off. That includes the oxygen mask, your IV or any of your leads that connect to the machinery. Second if you need something, or want anything, you will ask for it. Use the call button. It's what it's there for."

"I want the mask off and I want Sammy in here," Dean said exhaustedly, glaring at the doctor.

"OK. Tell you what. You leave the mask on tonight and I'll see what I can do about getting you a nasal canula tomorrow," Ramsey started to say but paused when he saw the boy's confused look. "It's a tube that will rest just below your nose, which will provide oxygen just as the face mask does. It's less bulky than the mask, a little more uncomfortable, but you will be able to communicate better with your family and friends. But this is not up for debate. Keep the mask on tonight and I'll do what I can tomorrow, provided your oxygen levels stay on track."

"Fine. What about Sam?" Dean pressed. He had to see his little brother before he fell asleep. He had to know he was ok and there was no way he was taking anyone else's word for it. He'd yank all this crap out again and go into the other room to be sure.

"Sam's not doing so great," Ramsey said softly. "So I am going to let him stay with you. His concussion seems to be getting the better of him and the only thing he seems to be able to focus on is being with you."

"So where is he?" Dean asked.

"He's just outside with your father," Ramsey said with a smile. Never before had he seen siblings so close or concerned about each other. "Now before I let him in here I need to explain what's going to happen next."

"Well that doesn't sound good," Dean muttered under his breath.

"Well it's not all that bad actually. I'll bring Sam in and I'll do a cursory exam just to make sure he isn't having these issues due to his shoulder being out of place. Then if he's ok I'll give him something for pain as well and you a sedative because," Ramsey tried to explain but got cut off.

"Sedative? I don't need that," Dean said.

"Actually Dean I believe you do. That way you will relax and allow the medication to work and let your body heal. When your body is relaxed and pain free, you'll breathe easier and sleep better. It will help you sleep through the night, no nightmares either. You need at least eight good hours for you to start to heal," Ramsey said.

"Yeah but Sammy," Dean tried to object.

"Your brother is exhausted and I'd be very surprised if he's had any sleep at all. I will be giving him a mild muscle relaxant combined with a pain reliever. That may even keep him out longer than you," Ramsey said with a slight grin.

Dean nodded. "Fine," he said. With luck he'd be awake before Sammy in the morning.

"Glad you see it my way," Ramsey said. He put the mask back on Dean and headed out of the room.

"Jerk," Dean mumbled under the mask. But a moment later when the doctor brought in his little brother all frustration was gone. Sammy was pale and shaking. He looked smaller somehow and lost. His eyes were shadowed and rimmed red from crying.

"Ok Sammy. Just bear with me for a moment. I need to check your shoulder and then you can get some sleep, ok?" Ramsey said softly as he steered the boy into the room with a hand on his back.

Dean jumped as a code blue rang out from the nurse's station.

"Dr. Ramsey, it's Mathew in room 5," Pat said as she paused long enough at the doorway and then she was gone.

Ramsey turned Sammy gently to look at him. "I'm going to be right back. Don't go anywhere," he said and then he was gone.

Sammy's head tilted slightly as he stared out the open door and didn't move. He hurt, he wanted Dean and he just wanted to curl up somewhere and go to sleep.

Dean watched his brother for a moment before he removed the oxygen mask. "Sammy?" He said hoarsely but didn't get a response.

The thirteen year old shifted slightly from one foot to the other as he continued to stare out the door.

Dean cleared his throat. He winced and touched his throat. "Sammy, look at me."

Sammy blinked a few times and slowly turned around at the sound of Dean's voice.

Dean shivered slightly at the empty look in his little brothers eyes. It was almost as if he was looking right through him. He knew Sammy was hurting and somehow he needed to reach him. Only there was no way he could get out of bed. Not again. "Come here Sammy."

Sammy shuffled slowly towards Dean's bed stopped just short of it. He continued to tremble and dried tear tracks could be seen on his cheeks. "Dean?" He whispered.

"Come on man, it's ok," Dean said softly as he reached out and touched his brother's arm, surprised to find it cold. "It's all right."

Sammy's face scrunched up and a fresh batch of tears began to slip down his cheeks. He leaned over and buried his face into Dean's shoulder.

Dean wrapped an arm around him as best he could. "It's ok little man. Just relax. Everything's ok. I've got you. Why don't you lay down next to me?"

Sammy shook his head slightly back and fourth.

"Come on. Just lie down and rest," Dean said softly.

Sammy shook his head and turned so his cheek rested against Dean. "Don't wanna leave."

"You're not going anywhere. Just stretch out beside me," Dean coaxed softly.

Sammy took a moment to process it, trying to get his mind around what his big brother had just said. Hoping it wasn't a trick of some sort but he couldn't seem to focus. "Trick?"

"Nope. No trick Sammy. You're staying with me now," Dean said focusing hard to pull in a full breath.

Slowly Sam straightened up and then lay down next to Dean. He wrapped an arm around his brother as he snuggled into his shoulder. He began to feel safe as Dean's arm wrapped around his back and he started to relax. He looked up and realized the breathing tube was gone.

Dean could see panic beginning to grow in Sam's eyes and shook his head. "I'm all right Sammy. I was lucky and didn't hurt myself. Really. It's just a little sore."

"Doctor said you could die if you did that," Sammy whispered.

"I'm not gonna die. I promise," Dean soothed making sure he looked directly in his little brother's eyes. Just like he did whenever he promised Sammy something. Making sure Sammy understood he was serious, and he always followed through on a promise. "It did a little damage when I took it out but I'm all right."

Sammy relaxed slightly and reached up to touch his forehead. "Hurts."

"I know it does," Dean said struggling to keep his eyes open. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to need that sedative. "Just close your eyes and try to sleep. Ramsey will be back soon and to give you something for the pain." He swallowed carefully. He wished he'd asked for some ice water before the doc had left.

"Don't want to sleep. Take me away," Sammy said sleepily and yawned.

"No they won't. Ramsey promised me you could stay," Dean said.

Sammy looked up to his brother. "You sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. I promise you Sammy no one is taking you away," Dean said and smiled slightly. "Sorry dude but you're stuck with me."

Sammy almost smiled at that. He tightened his arm around his big brother. "Kay Dean," he whispered. He didn't close his eyes but watched his brother instead.

Dean was slowly rubbing his hand up and down his brother's back. The stress of the evening combined with the effects of the morphine had sleep pulling at him. And as much as he was trying to fight it the medication was beginning to take it's toll.

Sam knew his brother was almost asleep when his hand slowly stopped moving on his back. Feeling guilty but needing Dean's reassurance Sammy whispered, "I hurt Caleb."

"Don't think so. Caleb's tough. S'fine," Dean slurred.

"Sound like dad," Sammy said softly.

"Yeah?" Dean replied, practically asleep.

"Your voice is funny," Sammy grinned.

"Sleep Sammy," Dean murmured.

"No. Hurts too much," Sammy said.

"What does? Your arm?" Dean asked as he attempted to shake off the exhaustion settling over him. The morphine had dulled the pain but it had also dulled his Sammy receptors.

"M'head," Sammy said his words beginning to slur as he fought off sleep.

Dean lifted a heavy hand to stroke his brother's hair. Something he'd done numerous times when Sammy had a headache and they were out of pain reliever. It usually worked the best. This time Sammy flinched as soon as Dean touched his head.

"Hurts," he whimpered.

"Sorry Sammy," Dean whispered. "Just try and relax ok? Doc'll be back soon."

Sammy sniffed and let out a shaky breath.

Dean felt his hospital gown row get wet with Sammy's tears. "S'all right, Sammy."

"Can't help it," Sammy said as his chest hitched slightly.

"I know. S'ok to cry sometimes. 'Specially if you're hurt," Dean said softly cringing at the pain in his throat.

Seeing Dean wince in pain, Sammy sniffed again and tightened his hold on his brother.

Dean sighed as Sammy trembled next to him. He swallowed painfully and grimaced at the fresh blood in his mouth. His throat felt like it was lined with shattered glass. Talking made it even worse and he was beginning to feel light headed. "Just close your eyes and try to relax," he said as he began to rub his brother's back again.

The soothing motion helped and soon the tears stopped and Dean was sure his little brother was at least dozing if not out completely. Listening to the soft, even breaths of his brother lulled Dean as well and he jerked himself awake as soon as he felt himself drift off. He struggled to stay awake and keep watch just like he did when Sammy was younger. He needed to be alert in case another nightmare claimed his little brother.

Dean was beginning to lose the battle with sleep when Doc Ramsey quietly came into the room.

"Hey," Dean said softly.

"Dean. Thought we had some ground rules," Ramsey said as he gently felt around Sam's neck and shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry. Forgot," Dean mumbled.

"It's all right. I'm a forgiving kinda guy," Ramsey said with a grin. "We can start those rules now. How's that throat of yours feeling?"

"Sore and," Dean said and swallowed. "A little bloody."

"Yeah?" Ramsey said as he straightened up satisfied that Sam's shoulder was right where it was supposed to be. "Is it a lot or just a little blood?"

"Just a little. Nothing I can't handle," Dean assured.

Ramsey nodded. "All right then. I'll get a bowl placed next to your bed in case you start feeling nauseous. And I'm going to give you that sedative now, Sammy too. Then you've got some people out there who'd like to see you for a moment. No more than five minutes."

"Kay doc," Dean said softly.

Ramsey quickly fixed the breathing mask and placed it securely over Dean's mouth and nose. "Stays put, right?"

Dean nodded tiredly. He watched the doctor use a swab to sterilize a spot on his brother's skin and then pull out a syringe from his pocket. His eyes followed the needle as Ramsey injected a small amount of clear medication to his brother's shoulder.

He frowned as he saw another syringe come out of the doctor's pocket. Dean shook his head. "Don't want it."

"I know. But it's for the best Dean," Ramsey said as he took the plastic cap off the needle and inserted it into the IV line.

Dean expected to feel the rush of something being added to his system like before but nothing happened.

"Ok Dean you're going have about five minutes before that knocks you out. I'll see you in the morning," Ramsey said. "I'll just get your father."

Once Ramsey left the room Dean's eyes began to droop. He tried to force his tired eyes open but they continued to blink closed. The comforting presence of his little brother allowed him to relax almost completely.

A few seconds later his father came through the door. John smiled softly at the sight of his boys snuggled up together.

Unsure if Dean was sleeping, John whispered his son's name.

"Dad? Don't wanna sleep," Dean slurred as the effects of the medication coursed through him. He was so tired but he couldn't give up on his watch. His little brother needed him. Feeling his body grow heavier, he concentrated on keeping his hold on Sammy.

"Just let the medication work Dean," John said as he perched on the side of the bed. There wasn't much room but he wanted to be close to his boys. He put a hand over Dean's arm. "Relax Dean."

"Can't protect him this way," Dean said hating that his limbs felt so heavy and that his eyes refused to open.

"I'll keep watch for a while. You're both safe here," John said and nodded as his oldest son settled. "That's right."

Caleb walked quietly into the room hoping not to disturb the two boys that looked to be asleep. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fine tipped white marker.

John looked over as he heard the cap pulled off a felt and saw Caleb standing at the foot of the bed. The elder hunter nodded and gave a slight grin. His son jerked slightly awake and turned his attention back to where it should be.

"Daad," Dean slurred. "Feellssss funnnyyyy"

"I know buddy," John said as he moved his hand and began to thread it through his hair. "Just let go. Get some sleep. You're safe here."

Dean moved his head slightly from side to side on the pillow fighting the pull of sleep. "Noo," he whimpered not realizing he couldn't feel the pain in his throat anymore.

John stopped his movements and was surprised when Dean leaned into his hand slightly. "It's all right Dean."

"Makee it stooop," Dean said with his eyes closed. "Dizzyyyy."

"Dean, listen to me," John said softly. "You and Sammy are completely safe here. Just relax and get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning I promise."

Dean lifted his head slightly off the pillow and forced his eyes open. Jim and Caleb were standing there at the end of his bed. He stared at them for a moment, knowing they were smiling and saying something but he couldn't make out the words. They seemed warped and stretched out at a super low speed.

He whimpered and looked up as his father touched his shoulder. His head was too heavy to hold up and he let it fall back against the pillow. He stared at his dad for a moment scared that all he could seem to do was breathe. Concentrating on the comforting motion of his father gently stroking his hair, Dean gave up the struggle to stay awake. Sleep followed mere seconds later.

John looked over at Caleb and Jim. "You do it?"

"Yeah. Dean has every protection symbol I could think of written in white felt marker on his cast so no one can see it," Caleb said.

"They're protected John," Jim said softly as he put a hand on his own son's shoulder. "We'll be back in the morning."

John nodded and turned his attention back to his boys. He ran his fingers through Dean's hair once more before putting a hand on Sammy's back. The gentle touches giving him the reassurance he needed that they were both there and slumbering peacefully.

He had no idea how long he sat there watching his son's sleep before he truly began to relax and believe the crisis was over. Not wanting to leave his boys he stood up and pulled the chair as close to the bed as he could get it. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him as he sat down.

Wearily John ran his hand over his face. Barely able to keep his eyes open he leaned over and put his head on the mattress next to Dean's arm. Genly he placed an arm around his boys as best he could then fell asleep to the steady rhythm of the heart monitor.

Ramsey stood just outside the room watching and debating whether or not he should interfere. Believing the family had been through enough for one night he decided to leave well enough alone and went over to the nurses' station.

"Pat do me a favour and call over to John's ward. Let them know he's going to be staying here for a few more hours," Ramsey said softly. "Try to not disturb them unless necessary. I'm going to try and get some sleep. Page me if you need me."

"Of course," Pat said softly.

With a tired nod Ramsey quietly headed for the doctor's lounge.


	19. Chapter 19

Renovations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything recognizable in the following story. All characters are property of their respective owners. No money was made and no characters were actually harmed in the making of this story.

**Author's notes:** Firstly thanks out to my very patient and skilled beta's who have struggled right along with me to ensure I have everything right, even after I make changes after getting it back. Any issues remaining are solely mine. Secondly thanks out to all of you wonderful readers who have gently poked and prodded me to keep moving on this. Especially Sammygirl1963 for her upbeat and supportive emails.

Chapter 20 was complete, but after the complete rewrite this chapter received it needs some changing. Which will be completed tonight and off to my betas.

Bobby appears in this chapter and makes a reference which is something that is mentioned in Christmas Treasures. Not a big deal, or even critical to this story. Just a small reference. :) Thought I'd mention in case there was some confusion.

There's some angsty and clingy boys ahead and possibly some swearing. Consider yourselves warned. Other than that I really hope this was worth the wait. Read and enjoy.

* * *

Renovations

Chapter 19

by infinite shadow

Quiet murmurings slowly woke the young teen. Sam stirred slightly against his brother. He could sense movement and a person hovering over him. It wasn't a sensation he liked, rather it sent a chill up his spine

"G'way," he mumbled.

Ramsey chuckled quietly as he glanced down at boy. "In a few moments," he said somewhat amused and finished un-bandaging Dean's arm.

Sammy blinked and tried focusing on the doc but the man stayed fuzzy. He closed his eyes.

The doctor handed the used yellowish stained bandages to a nurse and then examined the wound. He took a few moments to look over the forearm. The wound was healing but it was still angry and raw looking. The doctor took a sealed swab, opened the package and pulled out the device. He ran the cotton tipped device over the wound before putting it back into the package. Even though it still oozed some clear fluid he could see progress being made and he was pleased.

Ramsey looked over at the nurse. "Wrap it back up," he said softly.

"Sure," she said.

Sammy's eyes opened again and this time he had no trouble focusing on the people around him. He didn't know when the nurse came in but he'd seen her before. The young teen watched her carefully as she re-bandaged the wound. She seemed to be taking great pains to be gentle with Dean's arm so he turned his attention back to the doctor.

Ramsey carefully removed the oxygen mask that had been providing Dean with the higher oxygen concentration to help him breathe easier and recover. But his oxygen levels in his arterial gasses had stayed high during the night and Ramsey had decided to make the change over to the nasal cannula while the teen was asleep.

From a bowl on the small table Ramsey picked up a damp clock and gently wiped down Dean's face. The boy didn't flinch or even frown in his sleep.

Quickly he fixed the tubing to the wall and prepared the cannula for the sixteen year old. A moment later the oxygen mask had been replaced by the smaller less awkward tubing. Ramsey glanced down at Sammy and found himself looking into glassy eyed confusion. He couldn't help but see the white knuckled hold he had on his brother.

He looked at the nurse who had just finished gathering the blood samples he'd asked her to take.

She put the blood filled tube into the plastic basket, picked up the swab and left the room.

Sam blinked sleepily and stared at the new tubing on his brother's face. He blinked again before shifting his gaze to the doctor still working on his brother.

Ramsey made a slight adjustment to the tube around Dean's ears making sure it would be comfortable for the teen when he woke up.

"Wha-?" Sammy mumbled, blinked twice before looking back to his brother's sleeping face.

"It's ok Sammy. Back to sleep now," Ramsey whispered.

Sammy held on to his brother knowing something was missing; he just couldn't seem able to connect one thought to the next. He looked over to where there was an empty chair next to the bed and he blinked twice before it finally clicked. "Wrz Dad?" He slurred sleepily. His father had promised to stay and he was gone.

"He'll be back in a moment," the doctor said softly. "Close your eyes. It's too early for you to be awake yet."

Sammy shook his head slowly back and forth as he continued to stare at the doctor. He yawned and then snuggled against his brother. Usually this made him feel safe but something was off. If he woke up Dean was usually awake just after him either telling him to go back to bed or just to leave him the hell alone. But his big brother wasn't waking up and Dad was gone. He sniffed softly and he buried his face into Dean's shoulder.

Ramsey reached out and put a hand on Sammy's back. He frowned slightly as he felt the tremble in his wiry frame. "Easy Sammy."

Sammy flinched at the unfamiliar touch. Dean's hand was smaller, Dad's was bigger and he needed Dean to wake up. He sniffed again feeling the burn of tears in his eyes and felt his face turn warm in embarrassment. He was supposed to be stronger than this. He looked up as the warmth of the hand fell away and he felt relieved as he saw his father come back into the room.

"Sam," John said as softly he sat down in the chair next to his eldest son's bed. He'd dozed on and off since his boys had fallen asleep, but he'd needed to take a short trip to the washroom. He'd been gone for less than five minutes but his youngest had woken in his absence and now looked panicked. For that reason alone he'd waited for someone to come and check on them before leaving them. He'd been afraid that one of them would wake up alone.

Normally he wouldn't have worried about it. After all Dean looked after Sammy for the most part when the younger boy had nightmares and Dean kept any fears, rational or irrational, to himself. But neither one of them were acting like themselves. He needed to be there when one of them had woken up. He'd screwed up again and as usual it was Sammy who was looking at him with fearful devastated eyes.

"Daddy?" Sammy mumbled as he stared glassy eyed at him.

John could see the tears just resting above his eye lids and knew his youngest was fighting hard not to let them fall. "I'm here Sam," he said softly as he leaned forward and placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on the boy's head then slowly carded his fingers through the long dark locks.

Sammy's breath hitched slightly as he let out a quiet sigh. He reached out to his father and weakly grabbed his father's arm. "Stay?"

"Yeah little man, I'm staying right here," John said just above a whisper and slowly moved his hands through his son's hair again. "Back to sleep now."

The younger boy blinked sluggishly at his father twice. "Kay," he whispered as he closed his eyes.

John moved his hand to the base of his son's neck and kept it there until Sammy's breaths were deep and regular. He gently removed his son's hand and laid it against Dean's chest.

Sammy sighed softly before moving his cheek against his brother and settling.

John waited to see if his youngest would wake up but his breathing stayed deep and regular. The exhausted and sore father leaned back and tried to get comfortable in the hard plastic chair. After a few minutes he slouched down and put his feet up on the end of the hospital bed. He put his hand over Dean's arm and watched his children for a while longer before he could no longer force away the pull of sleep. With a tired sigh he closed his eyes and allowed himself to doze.

0000000000000

Dean slowly woke up hearing snippets of conversation happening around him. Absently he recognized the voices of Caleb, Jim, his father and Bobby. He wondered what occasion had them all staying at Jim's place this time.

He drifted in and out for a while not fully waking or going back to sleep either. As he drifted closer to waking up he realized the he couldn't hear his father's voice or Jim's voice anymore.

The room smelled like smoke and burnt flesh. Unconsciously he tightened the arm that he had around his brother as he forced his eyes open. He blinked at Caleb for a moment looking for injuries or something to show he'd been in a fight, but there was nothing. The only difference he could see was a different t-shirt under his jean jacket.

"Welcome back to the land of the living dude," Caleb said with a slight smile.

Dean frowned at him before turning his attention to Bobby. The man was haggard and dishevelled looking. His eyes were bloodshot and his face had several black smudges. He'd been partially shaved near his sideburns where a fresh row of neat stitches now lay. There were scratch marks around his neck and his clothes were blackened with soot. His baseball cap that he rarely took off was singed around the bill. It was his hand though that really drew Dean's attention. It was wrapped completely in white gauze bandages and looked like a big white bulb at the end of the man's arm. His eyes widened as they met his long time friend's eyes.

"Hey Dean," Bobby said with a slight smile.

"Bobby?" Dean whispered as his eyes went back to the man's hand.

"In the flesh kiddo," the junk yard man drawled.

"Burnt flesh," Caleb said with a snicker.

"Watch it boy," Bobby fired back all candour missing from his voice but there was a twinkle in the man's eyes as he continued to watch the sick sixteen year old. Kid looked stoned to the gills and the demon hunter thought it was for the best. Dean looked like he'd been put through hell since he'd seen him last.

Dean looked back and forth between the two men trying to figure out what happened while he was asleep. He blinked slowly as his gaze fixed on Bobby and his eyes narrowed.

"Caleb, make yourself useful and get me some caffeine," Bobby said softly knowing Dean was either slowly figuring this out, or he was preparing himself to lecture Bobby on being careful during a hunt.

"Man do I look like a barista to you?" Caleb shot back.

Bobby turned to him and pinned the kid with a stare. "Do you really want to talk about baristas with me boy?" He snarled back. You would have thought the boy would know better than to bring that little escapade back up.

Caleb paled slightly as he remembered the jam Bobby had pulled him out of a few years back. The man had never told his father but brought it back up from time to time. He could feel his cheeks burn with embarrassment a he hastily stood up and cleared his throat. "Black, right?"

Bobby nodded still glaring.

"You want anything Dean?" Caleb asked.

Dean turned his attention back to Caleb and blinked a couple of time as if trying to get his thoughts in order. He swallowed painfully. "W-water?" He tried to force out the words but no sound came out. The words were barely a whisper.

Caleb nodded. "Sure. Back in a bit," he said and hurried out of the room.

Dean watched his friend leave then turned his attention back to Bobby. "Wha?" He tried to say then winced as his hand moved up to this throat.

"Don't talk Dean," Bobby said his tone clearly saying you idiot.

Dean gave him half a sheepish smile.

Bobby looked up at the door as a nurse came in with a styrofoam cup of ice chips.

"Caleb mentioned that you were awake," the nurse said as she came into the room. She watched Dean watching her for a moment before she put the cup down on the rolling table.

Dean blinked at her as he drew in a slow breath.

The nurse glanced over his readings then gave Dean a smile. "I'll give you some time to wake up before I call in the doctor. Have some ice chips sweetie. It'll make your throat feel better but go easy on them ok?" she warned then left the room.

"Ah Dean?" Bobby said softly as he shifted in his chair and looked at the bed rail.

The sixteen year old turned his attention back to his friend and frowned. Icy fear slowly began to creep up his spine. Bobby just came out and said stuff; he never hummed and hawed about it. He bit his lower lip for a moment until he couldn't take the silence anymore. "What?"

"How are you feeling this morning?" Bobby asked switching gears and kicking himself mentally. There were things that needed to be said, and that wasn't one of them. He could tell the kid felt like crap.

Dean shrugged and felt the pull of the IV line in his hand.

Bobby took a deep breath and nodded. "About before... When you called," he started but got cut off.

"Where's Dad?" Dean asked and winced as even his whispered words trembled slightly.

"Oh ah your daddy's being released as we speak. He should be back soon," Bobby said.

Dean nodded. "Alicia and the kids?" He forced out the words and immediately wished he hadn't when the pain shot up a notch.

"They'll be fine. Her husband is there," Bobby said then shrugged. He'd been close with his sister until his own wife had died. After that he'd completely shut down and shut everyone else out. While Alicia had been happy to see him things were still way too strained for him to stay longer than needed. As soon as her husband had made it to the hospital he'd fled like a total coward.

Sammy sifted against his brother and mumbled something unintelligible before settling again. Automatically Dean began rubbing his brothers back slowly.

"Dean you shouda called me as soon as your father left," Bobby blurted out before the boy could side track him with another question. "Or even after the first guys had left."

"S'ok Bobby," Dean whispered with a half hearted shrug. He didn't want to have this conversation. Ever. Bobby didn't do this kinda crap, it was partly why he liked him so much. Straight and to the point. You screw up you were called on it. Signs of affection were smacks up side the head or a hand on the shoulder. Not this talk about your feelings crap.

"No it isn't but boy if you ever lie to me again you'll wish those punks were back. If you think you're only gonna have to make some holy water this time boy you have another thing coming," Bobby huffed.

Dean looked at him in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something but for once he had no smart ass comeback for that. He closed his mouth and looked down at his brother. He respected Bobby too much to sass him now. He'd screwed up a bunch of times. Bobby was just the first one to call him on it.

"When you're all healed up I have some things I need done in the yard. Spoke to your father about it and he agrees. A few months time will be summer and you will be spending at least a month at my place," Bobby said sternly.

Dean nodded as he picked at the blanket a bit. Working in the junk yard wouldn't be so bad no matter what it was. Seriously better than fifty extra laps around whatever rat hole they were staying in. Truthfully it was a relief. Spending time at Bobby's was great no matter what he was doing. "Ok Bobby," he said and rested his head back against his pillow. Who knew a few whispered words could be so exhausting.

"Now then. I couldn't be there when you needed me to be there. But after consideration I decided to make a detour before getting here," Bobby said.

Dean looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" He whispered and willed himself to stop talking. His throat felt as if it were literally crackling with flame.

Bobby nodded. "House is gone Dean. You'll never have to go back there no matter how much of an idjit your father is."

He and Sammy didn't have to go back there. The relief was staggering and he closed his eyes as the sudden dizziness he felt.

"Dean?" Bobby said standing up and hovering over him slightly. "You ok boy?"

The teen took a steadying breath before opening his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Thanks Bobby," he said softly.

"Don't thank me," he said as he sat back down. "Now how about some of those ice chips?"

Dean nodded and tried to reach the cup.

Bobby fumbled as he tried to grab it with his bandaged hand. He sighed and took it with his undamaged one.

"What?" Dean whispered and gestured at the man's bandage. "How?"

"It's nothing. Already took care of it. Don't you go worryin about it either. Got your hands full with that one," Bobby said gruffly with a glance at Sammy then tried to get some ice onto the plastic spoon.

"He's easily distracted in his old age," Caleb said from the doorway with two cups of coffee in his hands and a bottle of orange juice for Sammy under his arm.

Dean frowned. Bobby was sharp, knew about everything and he wasn't old.

"Some stupid kid stumbled into the fire hazard just as I lit it," Bobby said. With a frustrated sigh he stopped fiddling with the ice chips.

"Bobby's a bonafide hero. Pulled that kid right out of the inferno," Caleb boasted.

Dean's eyebrows rose to his hairline impressed and proud of his friends actions. He'd not only saved the stoner kid but saved him and his little brother from going back to that house.

"Left his singed butt smouldering on the grass before he got into his car and hauled ass back here but yeah," Caleb said as he put the drinks down.

Dean opened his mouth to say something but winced instead.

Caleb grabbed the ice chips, and fed a spoonful to Dean without really thinking about it. He froze with the cup in one hand and the spoon in the other expecting some kind of snarky comment or finger gesture but none was forthcoming. He smiled in spite of himself at the relief on the kids face.

Dean closed his eyes relaxing as the cool water soothed his sore mouth and painful throat. His stomach rolled slightly as the cool water hit it but he ignored it.

Sammy mumbled something as a drop of condensation dripped from the cup onto his back and tried to roll over. He frowned and mumbled again as Dean tightened his hold.

With his eyes still closed Dean rubbed Sammy's back again and felt him settle. He had no idea what the doc had given him but he'd love to get his hands on some for Sam's next sugar high.

Bobby cleared his throat. "You gonna stay for a bit kid?"

Caleb rolled his eyes. "I am not a kid anymore Bobby."

"You always will be to me," Bobby said with a smack on the side of Caleb's head.

"Hey watch it," Caleb said as he tried to duck away from Bobby's swing and smiled. "Yeah I'll be here, old man."

Bobby sighed heavily. No disputing it today. He felt old and exhausted. "All right. I'm gonna see about a place to stay for a bit. I'll be back," he said as he stood up and winced.

Dean watched the haggard man leave sorry to see him go. He was sure there was a lot more to the story. But it was more than that. He felt safe with Bobby, safe enough to not worry about anything, he didn't worry as much about Sammy. Not that he didn't feel safe with Caleb, it was just different with Bobby. Caleb was a great friend and pseudo big brother but Bobby was like a second father. Dean shook his head and turned his attention back to Caleb.

"Later," Caleb said as he dug into the ice chips and brought out another spoonful to be met with a hostile glare. He couldn't help but grin. "Come on kid you know how this works. Airplane into the hanger? Train into the tunnel? Ringing any bells there Sparky?"

Dean shook his head and glared as fiercely as he could.

Caleb calmly waited the teen out holding the spoon mere inches away from his mouth.

Dean continued to glare but gave in and opened his mouth. The ice hit his tongue and almost immediately he didn't care that he'd just been spoon fed. He sighed softly as the pain began to ease in his mouth and throat.

Caleb put the cup down on the rolling table and took Bobby's seat.

Dean watched him and unconsciously tightened his hold on Sammy. He knew he was about to get reamed out. The last of the ice chips melted away and his stomach lurched uncomfortably as he swallowed. He grimaced at the nausea and tried to shift into a more comfortable position but it was difficult with his brother attached firmly to his side.

He was more uncomfortable with Caleb's unwavering focus and he lifted his arms in an exasperated 'what' gesture.

Caleb smiled slightly. "Nothin. The official ass kicking will begin when you're well enough to defend yourself."

Dean's eye brows shot into his hairline again showing his surprise.

"Yeah man. Sides your little brother completely wore me out after we left here yesterday," Caleb said softly as he yawned and rubbed his knuckles into his eyes.

Dean frowned as a murky memory tried to surface but wouldn't come into focus. "Sammy said…" the teen whispered as he tried to force the memory.

"He was not a happy kid last night that's for sure," Caleb said softly and shrugged.

Dean frowned harder as he concentrated and tried to force the memory to the surface. "He... He hurt you?"

"Nah. More like he caught me by surprise is all," he said with a slight shake of his head.

The edges of the teens mouth quirked up and he raised one eyebrow.

"No big deal," Caleb huffed.

Dean smiled and nodded slowly a couple of times before he felt dizzy and his stomach rolled uncomfortably again. He sighed and the smile dropped from his face.

"Maybe a little," Caleb gave a long suffering sigh as he rolled his head slightly in exasperation missing the teen's change in demeanour. His side ached something awful but there was no way he was admitting it. His ego hurt way more.

Dean swallowed heavily trying to ignore his upset stomach. He forced a grin on his face and pointed to his friend's side.

"No you can't see." Caleb shot back getting annoyed.

"Must have got you good then," Dean whispered and rubbed his little brothers back. He leaned down towards his ear.

"Don't wake him up man just let him sleep," Caleb warned.

"Good job little man. Taking down Caleb that took some balls," Dean whispered more for Caleb's sake than his little brother's.

Caleb glared at the teen that was very much looking like a proud parent. "Oh what?"

"He's like half your size and no way is he is your weight class. I've taught him well," Dean whispered back managing to look smug then grimaced at the pain in his throat and the nausea in his stomach. He just probably needed more water.

"We. Actually all of us taught him well, just like we taught you," Caleb said seriously.

"Well yeah but Sammy never had the upper hand before with you," Dean said forcing the whispers to be heard and he swallowed. Wincing he reached for the cup but couldn't quite reach it.

Caleb sighed heavily as if he was really being put out to get to his feet. He really didn't mind. It was a relief to be having any conversation with the kid.

Suddenly Dean's eyes widened as he looked at Caleb.

"What's wrong?" He asked putting down the ice chips and hovering over the boy.

Dean's stomach was rolling and his head started spinning. He suddenly felt cold and hot all at once. The room felt like it was tilting sharply to the left. His breathing sped up and his machines began beeping faster sounding an alarm. He could feel Caleb grab his arm and something press against his chest.

"Easy Dean. It's all right," Caleb said as he took his hand away from the boy's arm for a moment and pressed the call button on the side of the bed. He was holding the bowl that had been on the table at the side of the bed against the teen's chest. "Just try to breathe through it."

Dean opened his eyes not realizing he'd closed them when he heard Caleb's worried but struggling to remain calm voice. "Caleb?" He whispered.

"I'm here. You'll be ok," he said firmly.

"Gonna," he whispered trying to give some kind of warning but he pitched forward slightly as his stomach cramped and the ice chips made a violent reappearance. The alarm continued to wail as his entire body seemed to cramp all at once and he expelled more water and blood into the bowl.

Caleb watched and tried to hold himself steady with the bowl unable to do anything else. As the bowl slowly filled he saw the blood on Dean's chin. He hit the call button again and swore as the next heave brought up mostly blood. "I need some help in here!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Dean choked and fought against the water coming up. It burned his already painful throat and mouth. It tasted coppery and he knew he was bleeding. Caleb was shouting over him and the room was spinning. He wanted it all to stop. He needed the pain and all the noise to stop. "Caleb," he whispered between heaves.

"S'all right Dean. Help's coming," Caleb said as Dean's entire body seemed to curl as the teen dry heaved.

"Dean?" Sammy mumbled still mostly asleep. It was loud, someone was throwing up and his bed kept moving. He felt sick, probably cause he could hear and smell someone's vomit.

"Sam go back to sleep," Caleb ordered.

"No," Sammy said and moved his head slightly. It touched the cool metal bowl and he tried to shrink back from it. "Dean?"

Caleb sighed. At least nothing from the bowl spilled out. "Sam just stay still ok? You're brother's ok. Stay still and don't hold onto him so tight."

"What happened?" Nurse Nancy demanded as she rushed into the room.

"I'd explain but," Caleb shot back sarcastically not looking away from Dean.

"Caleb, please," Dean pleaded as his entire body went ridged and he dry heaved again.

"Dean?" Sam said as he slid down the bed slightly and started to sit up to see what was wrong.

"Sam get off the bed," Caleb ordered. Kid was clear of the bowl and his moving out of the way was a good idea.

"What happened?" Sam asked as he stayed on the bed and grabbed his brother's hand.

A second nurse rushed into the room and Nancy turned to her. "Page Ramsey and get me 10ml of Compazine stat."

"What's that for?" Caleb demanded then winced sympathetically as the sixteen year old threw up again. He shifted his glance slightly to Sam who was kneeling next to his brother looking extremely pale. He had both hands covering his brother's bigger one.

"H-he's bleeding," Sam whispered looking horrified.

"We know buddy," Caleb said softly and watched as through the younger boy's fear he held on tighter. The IV line shaking slightly with his motions. "Watch the IV line Sam."

Sam immediately shifted his hold on his brother but didn't let go. "It's ok Dean."

Dean's body felt like it was on fire. Pain was everywhere and any movement brought more. His eyes were closed as he fought to keep his breathing even. Pain racked his chest and tears began to fall down his cheeks in reaction to the pain and vomiting. Dean tried to focus on the reassuring sounds of his brother's voice but the roaring in his ears drowned out everything.

"You're gonna be ok Dean," Sammy said encouragingly. _Please be ok_ he thought. His breath hitched slightly and he shifted slightly on the bed. His shoulder touched Caleb's arm.

"It's ok," Caleb said trying to soothe the boys and he almost dropped the bowl as Sammy knocked his arm. "Just try to relax buddy."

Dean's body tensed again as he heaved. A trickle of blood ran from the side of his mouth and down his jaw. "Make it stop," he whispered to anyone who could help him.

Ramsey rushed in with the other nurse.

"His pulse is racing and his blood pressure is dropping. He was given ice chips resulting in nausea and vomiting. He's bringing up water and some blood," Nancy reported.

"Give him 5ml Compazine to start. Dean, look at me," Ramsey said as he did a quick check of the monitors and then looked at his patient. " Assessing his young patient, Ramsey noted Dean's pallid complexion, his panting respirations, and erratic vitals.

Dean forced his eyes open looked at the doctor for a moment before searching out Caleb. "Caleb, please," he whispered. He wanted Caleb to fix everything. He needed his father here.

"He's getting shocky. I want his IV rate increased 25 mL an hour until his blood pressure stabilizes," Ramsey reported to the nurse.

Suddenly Dean's body started to relax. He slumped forward and was gently moved back. The bowl was taken away and the mattress moved back slightly.

"Dean, I need you to lay on your side for awhile," Ramsey informed as he moved the teen into position. Once Dean was on his side, the doctor raised the head of the bed.

"Caleb?"

"I'm right here Dean," Caleb said softly.

"Stay. Now," he whispered.

"I'm staying right here Dean. Don't you worry about that," Caleb said and looked at Ramsey daring him to order him from the room. There was no way anyone was removing him after Dean had just pleaded with him to stay.

The doctor nodded certain it would be in Dean's best interest for the man to stay. The boy did better with his family around him.

"Sammy," the teen whispered.

"I'm right here Dean," Sammy said still leaning slightly against Caleb. He squeezed his brother's hand gently.

Caleb shifted his stance so he could put an arm around Sam and a hand on Dean's shoulder hoping the physical contact would help both boys.

"He's staying for now Dean," Ramsey assured him. He monitored his patient's vitals carefully and was pleased to see the blood pressure readings slowly begin to climb and Dean's heart rate slowing towards normal. His complexion remained gray and pasty but Ramsey hoped his coloring would improve after the teen rested.

The other nurse came back into the room and gently placed a cold compress behind the teen's neck. That done she left the room.

"Dean, open your eyes," Ramsey said softly.

Ramsey nodded and watched as Dean opened glazed eyes. "Better?" He asked softly.

Dean stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

"We gave you a little something to help with the nausea. If it gets worse tell the nurse and you can have more," Ramsey instructed. "Without talking tell me how your throat is. Is it bleeding?"

Dean blinked slowly at the doctor before he shook his head.

"Ok. Open up. I want to check," Ramsey said as he produced a pen light and flashed it into Dean's mouth.

Dean patiently waited for him to finish.

"Looks ok but I'll run some tests later to be sure. If it starts to bleed again or you throw up more press the call button," Ramsey said as he tucked the pen light back into his pocket. "Oh and Dean? No talking."

Dean nodded yes and blinked slowly.

"Good. Does anything else hurt or feel wrong?" Ramsey asked almost as an afterthought.

Dean pointed at his IV line in the back of his hand.

Sam looked from Dean to the doctor. He didn't want to let go.

"Come on Sam. Off the bed now. Give the doctor some space to work," Caleb said.

Sam looked at him. "No Caleb. I'm not leaving."

Caleb smiled. "No we're not. But the doc has to examine Dean, ok. Come on," he said as he gently helped the boy off the bed.

Ramsey took a moment to examine the hand. "Well it does look irritated and slightly swollen. You did a number on it last night. Your skin tore a bit when the original IV was pulled out. So the area is a bit inflamed but we'll keep an eye on it. Anything else?"

Dean slowly pointed to his throat.

"Is there some kind of numbing throat spray you can give him?" Caleb asked. "I don't think he's going to want ice chips for a while."

"We may be able to do that," Ramey said and turned to Nurse Nancy. "See if we have any of that red throat spray handy? Also, I need to speak with John so please have me paged as soon as you see him. I need to update him on Dean's condition."

"Yes doctor," she said and hurried out of the room.

Dean glanced over at his brother before closing his eyes. Sam was pale and scared. He was exhausted and he wanted to sleep. He slowly opened his eyes as he knew his throat hurt too much for him to fall asleep now. He shifted on the bed again. "Sam I'm ok," he whispered.

"Dean no talking," Ramsey said.

The sixteen year old wanted to tell the man off. If he wanted to talk to Sam no one was gonna stop him. But telling him off would take too much energy.

Nancy came back into the room with a small spray bottle full of red liquid. "Dean, open up for me."

The sixteen year old blinked at her for a moment as if trying to process what she wanted. Slowly he opened his mouth and immediately wished he hadn't. Before he thought about it Nancy had sprayed two squirts of the liquid into his mouth. His entire body flinched as the ghastly flavoured medicine hit his raw throat. The additional pain slammed his body out of sleepiness for a second and he shoved the bottle away from his face. Panicked now he turned and searched out Caleb his eyes were wide and he shook his head fervently.

"Easy buddy," Caleb said.

"It's all right Dean. That's it," Nancy said. "It'll numb everything in a moment."

Caleb watched as the teen immediately slumped bonelessly back against the mattress. The medication had taken over once more.

"Stop. No more," he struggled to whisper.

"Just relax and close your eyes buddy," Caleb said with a sigh. "Just relax. No more nasty throat spray or ice chips. Sammy and I aren't going anywhere. I promise."

Nancy watched him for a moment before turning to watch his readings. Satisfied she looked back at Caleb. "He seems to be stabilizing. Push the button if you need anything."

Caleb nodded without taking his eyes off Dean. He heard her and the doctor leave the room.

"Dean?" Sam whispered as he inched closer to the bed hesitantly.

Dean held out his hand. "S'ok Sam," he whispered tiredly.

Caleb moved the bed rail down and waited for Sam to climb back on the bed next to his brother.

Sam lay on his side not touching his brother but needing to be close to him.

Dean smiled at his brother and opened his eyes a crack. "I'm ok Sammy. Really. I promise."

Sam curled up next to his brother and began rubbing Dean's back, hoping his touch would be comforting. Dean's gentle touch always made him feel better and Sammy wanted to return the favour.

Caleb put the bed rail back up as soon as the younger boy was settled. Wanting a moment for himself, Caleb carded his fingers through Dean's sweat soaked hair. He needed Dean to know that he was here.

The soothing touch of his brother and Caleb relaxed the teen and soon his eyes were fluttering closed.

"It's alright Dean. Go to sleep. I have this watch," Caleb soothed.

Dean struggled to stay awake, he wanted to make sure Sammy was okay. He fought to keep his eyes open, jerking awake as his body attempted to relax into sleep.

"Dean, I'm fine and Caleb is here. You can let us take care of you now," Sammy assured.

Believing in his brother, Dean allowed his exhaustion to finally win out. His eyes dipped closed and his breathing gradually evened out in sleep. Caleb and Sammy continued their gentle ministrations long after Dean had fallen asleep. The needed contact helped to ease their fears.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**: The characters in the following story are sadly not mine. They belong to far more creative people. No Winchesters or any other characters were hurt in the making of this story. I have made no money so please do not sue. There's nothing to get anyway except a boat load of debt.

**Author's note**: Thanks to my fabulous betas this is now ready to be posted. There were several renditions of this chapter. This is a combination of all of them. There will be one smaller chapter to come which is already with my betas.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 20**

**By infinite shadow**

Ramsey was leaning up against the wall next to the head administrator's door. There was a slight smile on his face as he strained to make out the muffled words being spoken in the next room.

As the room fell into silence Ramsey snatched a magazine off the table and hastily sat down. Fumbling slightly he opened the magazine to a random page and looked up as the office door opened and the guard stepped out.

The man had a black eye courtesy of Pastor Jim after the man had snarked a comment at the inconsolable boy. He wasn't sure but he thought the split lip was courtesy of the good pastor as well.The back of his hand had a bandage covering the spot where Sam had bit him. The other facial bruising had happened at some point after John had his son protectively held next to him. Aside from that there were scratches and multiple bruises on the man's arms.

"Andrew," Ramsey said with a nod and noticed how tightly the man was holding his posture. He remembered the numerous bruises around the young man's torso which had taken the blunt of the teen's fear and shock driven assault. He could have pressed to have x-ray's taken since the guard had only let go after John had landed a bone crunching blow to the man's chest. Seconds later his youngest son had latched on and buried his face in his father's side.

"Hey doc," the young guard said softly, wincing slightly as the words bothered his split lip and cut face.

Ramsey sighed softly knowing that the young man, just barely out of his teens, was a good man. He was young and maybe a little on the overzealous side of things, but a good man none the less. Hopefully he would learn some caution and consideration from last night. He got up and gave the man a slight smile. "How are those ribs feeling?"

"Pretty good considering," Andrew said softly and shook his head slightly. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well I don't think you were," the doctor replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No I wasn't," the guard said and was quiet for a moment as his tongue played with the cut on the side of his mouth. "I'm lucky they didn't fire me."

"Suspended?" Ramsey asked.

"No. Something called conditional hours," Andrew said with a shrug and then winced as it pulled on his bruised chest. "They're putting me with Jace on the day shift."

Ramsey nodded and felt the slight tug of a smile. Jace was a character that had been around for what seemed like forever. The man should have retired a several years back but had stayed on. He moved slow, had fast comebacks and was known to give his opinion on everything and anything when it moved him. The older security guard would slow the young man down and pull him down a few good notches to boot.

Often he took on the new hires and showed them around the place. Helping them get settled in their new positions. In all his years at the hospital the old man had seen and heard it all. Every so often when something went awry Jace would happily step in and help out when he could.

"Gotta go. Jace'll be expecting me. Something about a re-orientation," Andrew said as he checked his watch but didn't move. "Look doc I just want you to know that I'm sorry about last night."

"Well just don't let it happen again," he said softly. While it was true the security guard had gone way beyond what was acceptable with Sam he'd certainly paid for it. Andrew had been beaten up by a thirteen year old boy, gotten a thorough reaming out by John Winchester, additional assault by a preacher and was now in the process of getting a full written and verbal reprimand by the hospital administration. Somehow it seemed enough.

"It won't," Andrew said.

"Good," Ramsey said with a slight smile before he turned and walked away.

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Ramsey hung up the phone at the nurses' station and looked up in time to see John Winchester come into the ward with Bobby Singer. "John. Bobby."

John looked over at the doctor. With a side glance at his boy's room he moved over to where the doctor was waiting for him.

"I know you want to see your boys but I need to have a quick word with you about Dean's condition," Ramsey started.

"What's this about? Dean was fine when I left," Bobby said a little surprised.

Ramsey looked at the man then back to John.

"He's family doc. Whatever you have to say to me about my son can be said to him as well," John said.

Ramsey nodded. "Dean was stable when he woke up this morning. He asked for some water and was given ice chips. Unfortunately they did not stay down and," the doctor was explaining when he got cut off.

"Wait. He got sick," John said as he frowned. "On water?"

"Well nausea resulting in vomiting is a normal reaction to some of the medications he's receiving through his IV. However, the vomiting Dean experienced caused him some distress." Ramsey paused for a moment before continuing on."Dean's blood pressure dropped and his heart started to race which indicated that he was in the early stages of shock. To combat that, I've increased his IV fluids which raised his blood pressure and caused his heart rate to stabilize. I've also started him on some medicine that has stopped his vomiting for now, but I'm sure he's still somewhat nauseous. Unfortunately we can't eliminate the side effects of his antibiotics and he isn't well enough to stop the medication," Ramsey informed.

Bobby huffed impatiently when the doctor paused again. "Out with it doc. We'd like to see the kid while he's still a kid."

"I've ordered some tests to find if further damage occurred while he was vomiting," Ramsey answered.

John paled slightly. "Damage?" He repeated.

"Your son was vomiting some blood along with the water," Ramsey explained. "I suspect that it aggravated his already raw throat as he doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore. But I've ordered a scope exam to get a better look to be sure."

John stared at the doctor before he glared. "You made my son sick?"

Bobby put a hand on his friends shoulder. "You're going to put a small camera down his throat?"

"Yes. Something like that. It won't hurt him at all John," Ramsey tried to reassure the man. "Look we spray a numbing agent into his nose like a decongestant nasal spray. The tube is inserted through his nose and it goes down his throat. No gagging reflex or anything like that at all. If he closes his eyes he won't even know what we're doing."

When both men looked slightly horrified the doctor rushed to explain more. "Dean may experience some slight bleeding and discomfort after the procedure is over but I promise it won't hurt him. The test is necessary to provide us with a better idea of what damage occurred when your son pulled out his breathing tube and again when he was sick earlier this morning." Ramsey sighed. "I wouldn't put Dean through another test if I didn't believe it was important."

John took a breath as if to say something then seemed to change his mind. "So he's stable now? Can we see him?"

"Of course. In fact Dean isn't in crisis now or we would have performed the test already. His exam is scheduled for this afternoon, barring he shows no other signs of bleeding," the doctor said.

John shook his head. "But Dean's ok, right? I mean he's not sick now?"

"No the vomiting ceased when we administered the medication earlier. It did make him tired which is completely normal and last I checked he was sleeping peacefully," Ramsey paused and shifted his stance slightly. "Look John, your son is still very sick. Although minor setbacks are not all that uncommon he is doing very well. That said he has a very long road of recovery ahead of him."

Bobby glanced at his friend and cleared his throat. "Ok. Thanks doc," he said and nudged John towards his son's room.

John moved but stopped a few steps away from the door that would lead him to his children. He took a deep breath and released a shuddering sigh.

"John, Dean will be fine. He's strong. He's got you and Sammy to help him through this. Jim, Caleb and I will be around for as long as you let us," Bobby said. "He'll recover just fine and knowing that boy of yours, he'll be stronger then than when this whole mess started."

John ran a hand over his face and took another deep breath. "He's so sick Bobby. He should have never gotten this bad," he whispered.

"You're right. He shouldn't have," Bobby shot back.

John looked over at him expecting anger, but what he saw was frustration mixed with understanding.

"You didn't have to leave him in that house, but you did. I know you well enough to know that had you any inkling that it was this bad a whole army of spirits wouldn't have moved you. All Dean had to do was make a phone call," the junk yard man said. "You two are the most stubborn sets of mules I've ever met. You need to learn how to listen and Dean needs to learn how to ask for help. And I have no doubt you two will learn, but now is not the time for looking back at what happened. Now we have to focus on Dean and get him well enough to be able to be released."

John frowned at him. "When did you become Pastor Jim-like?"

Bobby rolled his eyes and gave his friend a shove towards the room. "Idiot," he muttered.

John hastily prepared himself for the worst as he squared his shoulders and stepped into the room. What he saw he was completely unprepared for. There, just a few steps away, were his children. They were sleeping and looking more peaceful than he'd seen for a long time.

"Hey," Caleb greeted softly as he slowly got to his feet.

John didn't acknowledge him, he just kept his eyes on his children for a moment. Both boys were sleeping on their sides facing each other. Sammy had his good hand resting on his brother's arm. As he watched Dean shifted slightly while he slept and Sammy murmured something so low John couldn't tell what it was. He was surprised to see Dean settle immediately.

A small smile graced the father's face as he watched the role reversal. The protector had now become the protected.

Bobby nodded at Caleb. "You all right boy?"

Caleb nodded tiredly.

Bobby saw the worry in his eyes. "John we'll be back in a few," he said. He guided Caleb out of the room. He wanted to give the kid a break and give John some time with his sons.

John heard them leave and he walked closer to the bed. "Hey boys," he said softly taking a good look at both of them.

Dean was extremely pale but his breaths were deep and strong. Sam was pale as well making the dark bags under his eyes stand out.

The oldest boy stirred again and slowly opened his eyes. Groggily he looked at his little brother then his half open eyes latched onto his father. "Dad?" He whispered.

John smiled slightly at him. "Just rest son. I heard about your rough morning."

The sixteen year old stared at him with glassy eyes. Through the pain meds he could tell his father was worried but hiding it. He offered up a weak smile. "Sorry. M'ok now."

John shook his head. "Stuck in a bed and you still find trouble. What am I going to do with you?" He asked with mock seriousness as he ran a hand through his boy's hair.

"Nothin," Dean whispered.

He nodded. "Go back to sleep."

The boy closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. He looked at his father seriously and bit his lip. "You leaving?"

"I'll stay for a bit," John said.

"But you'll want to get cleaned up. Take a shower and get clean clothes," Dean said as he frowned. "You always do when you're released from hospital."

"In a while. I'll be around for a bit," he said.

"Don't have to stay," Dean said and silently begged his father to stay. "I'll make sure Sammy's ok."

"I have no doubt you'll look after him," John said. "But I want to stay for a while. No arguments and no talking. Doc's orders."

Dean nodded relieved that he really was staying.

"Close your eyes. Sleep will help you heal," John said.

The teen blinked slowly a few times before doing what he was told.

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The room was quiet when Sammy woke up. He kept his eyes closed and just took a moment to listen. He could hear someone flipping through a magazine and the creaking of a chair as they shifted position. Dean's chest rose and fell slightly below his cheek. The always comforting thumping of his brother's heart and the warmth of the arms around him made him feel so secure he smiled slightly.

"You awake Sammy?" Dean whispered.

Sammy nodded against his chest. He felt so warm and comfortable that he didn't want to move. His head didn't hurt so much and he was really relaxed.

"Sammy?" Caleb ventured.

The thirteen year old sighed slightly. "Hmmm?"

"Come on and open those eyes buddy," Caleb said.

"MmNnno," Sammy murmured.

Dean rubbed his back. "Grumpy," he whispered to Caleb.

"Come on Sam. Up and at em. It's almost noon buddy," Caleb said softly, mindful of a possible headache.

Sammy sighed again and opened his eyes. He stared blankly at Caleb's shirt which had some kind of writing on it that he couldn't quite bring into focus.

Dean exchanged a look with Caleb before looking down at his brother. Giving the teen a few minutes he looked back at his friend.

Caleb stood up and stretched. "Back in a minute," he said knowing that Dean might want to talk to his brother alone for a few minutes.

Dean watched the older man leave the room. "Sammy?"

The younger teen tilted his head back to look at his brother.

Dean was concerned at the dark bags under his brother's eyes and tight hold he had around his chest. "Doing ok?"

Sammy looked away and shrugged. He winced and hissed at the sudden flash of pain the movement caused. The pain was fleeting and was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.

"Where's Dad?" He asked softly.

"Released and doing fine. He'll be back pretty soon," Dean said then smiled slightly.

Sam shook his head against his brother's chest. "Mad."

Dean frowned. "Uh no?"

Sammy huffed slightly and pursed his lips for a second. "No, Dad. I screwed up."

"No he's not mad. I think he's just relieved that we're ok. And you didn't screw up. None of this is your fault. Stuff happens. You know that," he whispered and swallowed painfully.

Sam was quiet for a moment. "But I messed up. Broke the line."

Dean quickly processed that knowing that he meant a protective line of salt. "Ok but not on purpose, right?" He asked and tried not to wince at the pain coming from his raw throat.

"No," Sammy huffed. "Course not."

"Well then," Dean started to say but reconsidered when he felt how tense his little brother had gotten. "Want to tell me about it?"

"No," Sammy said softly.

"Tough. Spill," Dean ordered through a whisper.

Sam sighed heavily but gave in and spent the next few minutes telling his brother everything. From the yelling match he'd had with their dad in the car on the way to the hunt to driving the Impala to the hospital.

Dean was seriously impressed but could hear shame in his brother's voice. When Sammy had stopped talking he was trying to find the right words when Ramsey came into the room with Caleb.

"How's the throat feeling now?" Ramsey asked as he reviewed the teen's file.

"Fine," Dean whispered frustrated that the doc had to show up now when his little brother had just started to open up.

"Uh huh," the doctor replied. "And if I believed that I'd be far too gullible to work in this ward."

"I believe this guy's got your number," Caleb said with a smile.

The older teen shook his head and glared daggers at his friend.

Ramsey put the file down on the table as he glanced at Dean's machinery.

"Sam I brought you a change of clothes this morning. How about you change and then we'll go for a walk while Dean gets checked over," Caleb said.

The thirteen year old glanced at Caleb before looking up at his brother. He didn't want to go with him. "Maybe I'll just wait outside?" He barely whispered giving his brother his best sad puppy-eyed look that usually got him whatever he wanted.

Dean shook his head slightly ignoring the pull of the oxygen tubing in his nose. "Go on and get some fresh air. Then you can come back and keep me company for a while."

Sammy looked worriedly at Caleb before looking back at his big brother.

"What is it kiddo?" Caleb asked softly concerned at the boy's sudden reluctance to go with him.

Sammy didn't want to go. He'd lashed out at him and Pastor Jim in panic. He didn't know what to do or say to fix it. Truthfully he was completely mortified and embarrassed at his behaviour even through it was explainable. But it wasn't excusable, not to him. His actions were not sitting well with him.

"You feel ok?" Dean asked his hand gently touching the back of his little brother's head. He frowned slightly and his hand moved to brush his fingers over his forehead and cheek checking for fever.

The boy shook his head. "Don't make me go. Please Dean," he implored so softly the older boy barely heard him.

"Sammy it's just Caleb," Dean whispered and paused as the reason for his brothers reluctance suddenly dawned on him. The meds were seriously messing with his abilities to read between the lines with his little brother.

"Guys, I do have other patients and Dean has some tests that need to be done," Ramsey said. "And Dean, you're not supposed to be talking."

"He's not mad and he totally understands. Really little man," Dean assured Sammy as he ran his fingers through the dark curly hair again, blatantly ignoring the doctor. "Go with him for a bit. It'll be ok. I promise."

Sam pursed his lips as he looked up at his sibling. Confidently his brother looked right back at him and the younger brother sighed. "Ok."

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A while later Caleb was slowly walking next to a moping thirteen year old who had grumpily taken a granola bar but not eaten it. He seemed to be squeezing the life out of the bar while keeping his eyes firmly on the ground. So far any questions were met with shrugs or a shake of the head. The man took it all in good humour as he sipped at his coffee.

A long suffering sigh came from Sammy as he trudged along the cement path. He didn't want to be outside. It chafed at him that he felt better only when his brother was with him. He wasn't a little kid anymore and he wasn't supposed to feel that way. Dean wasn't supposed to come to his rescue. He was old enough to fight his own battles and battle his own nightmares on his own. It would be easier when his head felt better.

"Sam?" Caleb said softly as he watched the sun peak out from between the heavy set clouds above.

The thirteen year old winced and squinted at the sudden brightness. He jumped as Caleb's hand suddenly appeared in front of his face holding a pair of sunglasses.

"Easy," Caleb murmured. "Put them on. It'll help."

Sam nodded slightly and took the offered shades. He smiled lightly as he put them on. They were slightly too large for his face but it did help. It didn't hurt so much to look around now. His smile grew as he knew that Caleb never lent these to anyone and his older brother was always trying to steal them. Sam had tried to point out that he could always buy his own but Dean had just grinned at him and asked him where was the fun in that?

"Sit down buddy," Caleb said as he motioned to a park bench they'd stopped near.

Sam hunched and rested his casted arm in his lap as the other hand continued to mangle what was left of the granola bar. The wrapping made a crinkling noise each time he moved his hand.

"You know if you eat something you might feel a bit better," Caleb said and took another pull off his coffee. He casually draped his arm across the back of the bench.

The teen dropped the bar on the bench. He stared at it for a second before bringing his sore arm around his chest. He didn't feel well but he wasn't gonna eat that granola bar.

Caleb reached down and opened the package. He smirked as he put it in front of Sam's face. "There you go. Now you can stop mangling it and eat it."

Sam pushed his arm away and bolted to his feet. He turned sharply, hissed at the pain in his shoulder, ripped off the sunglasses and threw them at Caleb.

"Hey!" Caleb yelled as he fumbled the hastily thrown specs and they clattered to the ground. "What's your problem?"

"You are!" Sam shouted suddenly so full of rage he could barely breathe.

"Me?" Caleb said his eyes wide in surprise.

"Yeah you," Sam nearly screamed. His breaths were coming hard and fast. Tears gathered in the sides of his eyes but he didn't feel them.

"What'd I do?" Caleb shouted back.

"Y-you you're not mad!" Sam yelled then stiffened slightly. His face scrunched up filled with misery. "No one's mad! I screwed up! I let dad get hurt! We left Dean alone! I hit you."

Caleb watched the boy for a second or two. Tears fell down his red cheeks and his chest hitched as he tried to pull in a breath. "Do you want me to yell at you Sam?" He asked very softly.

"No," Sam huffed then sniffed a couple of times. He rubbed his good forearm across his face. "But… but."

"But what buddy?" Caleb asked as he leaned forward slightly.

"I don't know!" Sam yelled.

"Come on sit back down," Caleb said softly and was surprised when the teen did as he asked.

Sam sniffed softly as his breathing hitched in his chest. The anger that had been burning brightly a few moments ago was gone. It left nothing but exhaustion and a worsening headache in its wake.

Caleb gently rested his arm around Sam's shoulders. Slowly he could feel the teen's shoulder sag and lean against him. He offered the granola bar again. "Come on Sam, eat the bar before you completely squish it to death."

Sam huffed slightly. "I don't like them," he said softly.

"Since when?" Caleb asked surprised. Last summer the kid had only wanted to eat granola bars and nothing else.

"Since Dean bet me I couldn't eat a whole box in under two minutes," Sam said with a quirk of his lips.

"Lemme guess," Caleb started to say.

"The eating part was easy. The hard part was when they came back up. All over the back of the car and partly in the front," Sam said and sighed. "Then I had to sit through a lecture and then I had to scrub the inside of the car clean."

Caleb couldn't help but grin as he nodded. "Yeah that'd about do it. What did Dean have to do?"

"He had to clean the grille of the Impala with a toothbrush. Dad found three small dead bugs when he was done so he had to do it all over again, and then polish all the chrome with this little tiny square of cloth. Then he had to do fifty laps around the motel," Sammy said and shrugged. "I'm not eating that."

Caleb shook his head. Knowing John it could've been much worse. "Lets go back. You need to eat something and I'll let you pick it out this time."

"Not hungry," he replied.

"Didn't ask if you were hungry," the older man shot back.

Caleb stood up and waited for a moment before the teen did the same. Slowly they headed back towards the hospital.

The thirteen year old turned and looked at his friend. "You're really not mad?" He asked very softly.

"No I'm not mad," he replied just as softly. "Not about anything."

Sam pursed his lips and nodded. "Ok," he said quietly.

Caleb watched people hurry in and out of emergency as they walked past the entrance. They were a few steps away from going back into the building when Sam suddenly grabbed his jacket.

"Caleb?" Sam said his name like a question.

He turned and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. The boy looked upset, his posture was hunched; he was shaking slightly, his face flushed and his eyes shiny. "What's wrong?"

The teen shook his head slightly shaking off the question. "I'm sorry."

"Sammy you've got nothing to be sorry for buddy," he said.

"But your side," Sam started to explain.

"It's fine. Nothing to worry about," Caleb soothed.

"You sure?" He asked anxiously.

Caleb smiled. "Yeah I am."

Sam nodded but looked unconvinced.

**"**You knowI haven't forgotten how to use tickle torture," Caleb said in mock seriousness**. **

They boy's eyes narrowed slightly. "You wouldn't," he said but the words were shaky, unconvinced.

"Try me," Caleb said.

Sam's face broke out in a tentative smile and he suddenly hugged the hunter.

"Oh god," Caleb mumbled as he wrapped his arms gently around the boy. "You and your chick flick moments. Dean would be having a cow by now."

The teen stepped back embarrassed by his actions, but relieved that the man wasn't hurt or angry with him. "Can we see Dean now?" He asked softly.

"Of course," Caleb said and as they walked in, he draped an arm across the boy. They made a quick stop at the cafeteria so they could get some food for Sam.

As they walked down the hallway towards the pediatric ICU ward Sam carefully followed the lines with his feet. As they turned the corner into the ward Sam suddenly saw a pair of boots blocking his way. He looked up and saw Bobby standing there.

"There you are," he said gruffly. "Bout to send out a search party for you two."

"We went for a walk and then Caleb stopped to talk with the girl in the gift shop," Sam said softly with a roll of his eyes then yawned. He fingered the item they'd purchased in the small store in his jean's pocket. "Dean ok?"

"Doc finished up a while ago," Bobby answered then chuckled slightly. "He's not too happy."

"He was fine when we left. What the Doc do to make him grumpy?" Caleb asked.

"Stuck a probe down his nose," Bobby said with a good natured shake of his head.

Sammy scrunched up his face in disgust and then lightly touched his own nose. "That's gross."

"Sam," John said as he came out of his son's room. "Do me a favour and calm down your brother. Tell him I'll bring him back a book later today."

"Yes sir," Sam said softly as his father brushed past him and out of the ward.

Sam shrugged out from under Caleb's arm, walked around Bobby and walked over to his brother's room. He stood in the door for a moment and just watched his brother. Dean had his eyes closed, his cheeks were pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His bandaged arm lay protectively across his chest and his other hand was clenched tightly around the bed rail.

Silently he walked into the room and stopped by the bed. "Dean?" He said softly.

Dean sighed and opened his eyes. It took a moment for him to move his head to look at his little brother. His nose looked red and a smudge of blood was just below it. "What Sammy?" He whispered tiredly.

"I know it sucks but don't give the doctor too much of a hard time ok?" Sammy ventured.

"Why not?" Dean said wearily as he turned his head back to stare at the ceiling. Man he was tired.

"Cause he's trying to help you," Sam said.

"Really? Shoving a camera down my nose does that?" Dean demanded through a whisper. The disgust and anger on his face seemed to make the words louder.

Sammy shrugged. "Dunno. I'm not a doctor," he said as he lowered the bed rail and sat on the bed facing his brother.

"I don't need to be coddled Sam," Dean whispered.

"I know," he said as he pulled out the new deck of cards out of his pocket. "Thought you might wanna play."

Dean looked at the cards for a second and yawned. "Ok. A few hands and no cheating," he warned.

Sammy just grinned and opened the cards.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **I think we all know the drill by now. Repeat after me: I do not own supernatural, the characters and show belong to their respective creators, actors and everyone in between.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks out to my super betas for working their magic quickly on this and the previous chapter. Heather was just back from the LA con and lynxlan is going with me on vacation tomorrow. Thanks girls!!

Also thanks out to everyone who reviewed or put on their alerts. There were some fabulous reviews and some incredible nudging PM's throughout this story. Reviews keeps me going, excited about writing, and posting. Thanks guys.

This is the final chapter of this story. There may be, at some point in the near future, a one shot with Dean recovering at Bobby's. That's not definite but I'm beginning to toss the idea around in my mind.

Read and enjoy. Thanks for sticking with me on this long twisted ride.

* * *

**Renovations**

**Chapter 21**

**By infinite shadow**

Several days later Dean was getting antsy. He wanted to get out of there and away from all the machinery and tubing. Plus Sammy was still having problems with his concussion. His brother had improved over the few days but still had issues on leaving his older brother. He wanted to look after his brother but it was hard when Sam was having nightmares in the motel and he was stuck here in the hospital.

Ramsey was staring at the younger teen waiting for the boy to leave. "Sam you know the drill by now. You have enough time to take a walk around the ward, or sit outside the room. Dean's not going anywhere but I need to do some tests. Same as every other morning he's been here," the doctor said getting exasperated.

"Dean doesn't mind if I stay," Sam said crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. "So I'm staying."

"Sammy," Dean said as loud as he could. His voice was slowly returning but it was still very low and hoarse. "Dude seriously. I can handle this. Just wait outside for a few minutes will you? I'll be fine."

Sam turned to his brother and frowned. "But Caleb said to watch you until they got back. He had to make sure Pastor Jim didn't leave with all his stuff."

"I know," Dean said patiently seeing the surprise and hurt in his brother's face. "Look you've done a great job looking after me buddy. But there are some things I need to ask the doc and well I'd kinda like to do it in private."

Sam frowned and then his eyes opened wide. "You really don't want me here?" He asked softly and his cheeks reddened.

Ramsey fought to keep a straight face. "Sam you realize it's customary for a patient to have full confidentiality between him and his doctor?"

"Well yeah but its Dean. He wouldn't leave it if were me," the thirteen year old reasoned as he backed up to the bed. "I won't leave now."

Dean closed his eyes, took a breath and counted to five. When he opened his eyes he found Sam glaring at the doctor. With a shake of his head he wrapped an arm around his little brother and pulled him back putting him off balance. "Sam wait outside. I mean it. Don't go anywhere and don't talk to anyone. When Ramsey's done you can come back in. But this has to stop little man."

Sam easily twisted around so he was facing Dean. The movement hurt but he strained not to let it show. "But you'd sit with me if the doctor was doing tests," he whispered.

"Sure if you wanted me to," Dean said easily. "But I'm ok with being on my own with the doctor. Sides there are some things you don't need to see."

"I want to make sure you're ok," Sam said his head ducking down slightly.

Dean couldn't help the small smile that graced his face. "I know buddy and I'm getting there. Just do as I ask, ok?" He asked softly.

Sam looked at his brother for a minute before finally nodding. He looked miserable about it but he turned and left the room.

"Thanks Sam," Ramsey said as the boy passed him.

"Whatever," Sam growled.

Ramsey smiled at his response.

Dean waited for him to leave then looked at Ramsey. "So how are you going to torture me this morning?"

Ramsey half huffed half laughed as his lips quirked up slightly. "If I really wanted to torture you Dean you'd still have the breathing tube in," he shot back.

The sixteen year old rolled his eyes.

"Is your brother always this clingy?" Ramsey asked seriously. The boy was thirteen and hated to leave his brother for any reason.

"No. Not even close. Usually he's all energy, pissiness and angsty teenager anger," Dean said with a snort. "This is just his concussion."

"You say that like you know exactly how he reacts. This isn't his first concussion is it?" Ramsey asked.

"No it's not. He's had a couple over the years from play ground accidents to a car accident when he was around five years old. He cries cause he can't help it and he gets clingy cause he's scared. In a week or two you won't even recognize him," Dean said softly. "Now then when can I be released from this joint?"

"Not for a while yet," the doctor said.

"Fine. I want the catheter tube out and I want out of bed," Dean said moodily. "I'm tired of lying around."

"You do huh?" The doctor said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me put this into perspective for you. Without the nasal cannula providing you with oxygen you wouldn't make it across the room to the bathroom. Your legs aren't currently strong enough to carry your weight and your body has no fuel to run on. You won't be able to take one step before you collapse to the floor."

Dean frowned at the words and looked down at his legs before looking back at the doctor. He glared at the doctor. How dare he call him weak?

"Look it doesn't take all that long for your muscles to atrophy when they're not in use," Ramsey said gently. He understood this normally active teen was not accustomed to lying about all day and the frustration that came with it.

"That's fine. Dad'll help me with that," Dean said confidently.

"He will?" Ramsey said surprised. "The last I checked he was a bounty hunter not a doctor or therapist."

"I want out," Dean almost growled.

"I get that Dean. I really do. But it needs to happen in stages."

Dean's head thumped back on the pillows as he sighed overdramatically. "How long?" He whined.

"Another couple of days at least. I'll get a hospital therapist to come in and work your muscles a bit. You're weak and we need to build up your strength before we decide when you'll be released," the doctor said.

"Fine," he said softly then glared at the doctor. "I want the catheter out now or I'm takin it out."

Ramsey shook his head. "Ok I'll make you a deal."

"No way man. Your deals suck," Dean shot right back.

"No they don't," Ramsey said. "Your arm swabs are coming back with good numbers and your blood pressure and oxygen levels have been strong. If your numbers are still strong this afternoon we can cut back on some of those meds and take out the catheter. But only if your numbers stay strong."

"What's stopping me from just taking it out when you leave the room?" Dean asked.

Ramsey raised his eye brows as if he were considering what Dean said. "Fine. Go ahead. But you can kiss any chances of having sex good-bye," he said and turned to walk out of the room.

"What?!" Dean said with his eyes wide.

Ramsey turned back to him. "Well pulling out your breathing tube did some damage didn't it?"

"Well, yeah," Dean answered.

"Ok then consider the kind of damage you can do on that most sensitive part of your anatomy," Ramsey said and turned back to the doorway. "Nancy can you give me a hand in here?"

"Sure doc. Be there in a minute," she said as she closed up a patient's file.

"Can I go back in now?" Sam asked.

"Not yet buddy. Just a few more minutes," Ramsey said and turned back into the room. He had to hold back a chuckle as he saw his patient biting his lip and looking down into his lap. The doctor cleared his throat.

Dean looked over at him with a horrified expression. "This … won't… I mean… I'll be able…," he said starting to breathe a little faster.

"It won't damage you unless you try and take it out on your own," Ramsey said as he made a show of opening Dean's medical file and reading up on the notes. He looked back up to see Dean had his eyes closed.

"Doc?" He asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"Really. How much longer?" Dean asked tiredly.

"Honestly I don't know. It could be as little as two more days here or as many as five. It's a guessing game at the moment. It all depends on how your daily tests go," he answered. "But I should be able to remove the catheter tube this afternoon."

"Ok," Dean said.

A short while later just after the nurse and doctor left Sam hurried into the room. His brother's eyes were closed and he went up to the bed as quietly as he could. "Dean?" He whispered not sure if he was sleeping or not.

Dean sighed and opened his eyes. It took him a moment to move his head to look at his little brother. "What Sammy?" He said softly.

"I know this totally sucks out loud but don't give the doctor too much of a hard time ok?" Sammy asked.

"Why not?" Dean asked as he turned his head to stare up at the ceiling. This did suck. He was bored and the doctor kept poking and prodding at all his sore spots. And the wrong nurses kept giving him sponge baths.

"I'll keep you stocked," Sam said grinning.

""Yeah?" Dean asked guardedly as he turned back to look at his little brother. "With what?"

Sam ducked slightly and grinned to wide that his dimples showed. Happy he could do something to make things easier for his big brother he pulled out a small bag of M&M's.

"Dude really?" Dean said as he couldn't help but smile. Finally a little contraband to brighten up his day. With any luck Caleb got him a skin magazine or at least a really good car magazine with all those sexy women around, under or on top of the cars.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah," he said as he carefully opened the package.

Dean held out his hand and frowned as his brother didn't hand over the candy. "Well?"

"You haven't eaten in a while**. **Just eat one to see how it sits.If you get sick then they'll keep you here longer and if Dad finds out he'll kill me," Sammy said.

"Yeah but it'd be totally worth it," Dean said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "For you," he said but dug into the bag and pulled out one candy coated peanut.

"Well at least it's blue," Dean said and put it in his mouth. He sucked on the candy for a moment then chewed it before grimacing as he swallowed.

Sam watched worriedly. "Well?"

Dean shrugged slightly.

"Sammy if I had thought those were for Dean I would have gotten just chocolate," Caleb said as he came into the room. "Stow it runt the nurse is coming."

The young teen shoved the package into his jeans. "Not a runt," he grumbled under his breath.

0000000000000

True to his word Ramsey had a physical therapist come in. He helped Dean stretch and work his muscles while still confined to a bed. As soon as Dean's strength improved the catheter that had him confined to his bed was removed. His vitals were good and he continued to work with the therapist. He was moved in short order to a regular ward bed.

In the mornings when Ramsey began his rounds Dean would already be up. A crutch under an arm and the other hand on the wood rail that lined the ward. Several times a day Dean could be seen walking the hallways most often before and after visiting hours. In these times he would look serious, hunched over slightly and looked to be struggling. But when he walked with his friends, father or especially his younger brother he would look relaxed, standing as tall as he could and his eyes would sparkle with happiness.

Three weeks after the sixteen year old had been flown to the hospital in critical condition he was finally being released.

"Yeah yeah yeah doc. I get it. Take it easy, no work outs, no straining myself, eat proper meals and take the meds," Dean said with a smile. He was sitting on his rumpled hospital bed dressed in sweats and a crutch was leaning up against the side of the bed.

Ramsey shook his head at the hopeful looking teen. He'd though it best to keep him a few more days but he could tell the teen was going stir crazy and taking it out on the nurses. The original charm was long gone replaced with teenaged frustration. Dean had healed enough to hit on the candy stripers and annoy the older nurses. The only reason he was getting the early release was for the nursing staff's sanity.

"All right you can go today," Ramsey started to say but got cut off.

"YES!" Dean shouted grinning widely as he jumped up on his good foot and grabbed his crutch. "I'm outta here."

"Wait," Ramsey said holding up a hand.

Dean's face fell.

"Visiting hours start in a half hour. You will have to wait for your family and we'll release you then," the doctor said.

"Knew there'd be a catch," Dean pouted as he sat back down on the bed.

"It's just a little longer. Why don't you wait in the playroom? At least you can watch some TV," Ramsey suggested.

"Whatever," Dean mumbled staring at the crutch leaning up next to him.

The doctor held back a smile. "Listen I promised you something after you woke up. Do you remember?"

Dean frowned and shook his head.

Ramsey pulled out a large bag of M&M's. "I know your brother's been keeping you supplied but I also know you have a long drive ahead of you in the coming days so I thought you might appreciate your own supply."

The sixteen year old smiled as he took the candy from the doctor. "Thanks," he said softly touched that the man would do something like this for him.

"Don't thank me. Just try to stay out of trouble, ok?"

"Yeah I will Doc," Dean said.

"Good man," Ramsey said and left.

Dean slowly got to his foot and put the candy into his backpack along with the rest of the few things that he'd kept with him in the room. The playboy Caleb had snuck in, the novel that Sam had picked out for him, the car magazine his father had brought in, and the Latin text Pastor Jim had brought in before he had to return to his church.

He hobbled his way down the hall and into the playroom. The TV was already on and a little boy dressed in smurf pajamas was already watching the tube. "Hey Mattie. What'cha watching?"

"Twanformers," he said in a toothless grin. "I wanna Bubblebee."

"It's Bumble Bee," Dean said as he sat down next to the kid.

"S' what I said," Mattie replied.

Dean watched the TV for a few minutes before giving the kid a side long glance. He didn't know what was wrong with the boy, nothing like a cast or bruises or stitches that he could see. He'd made friends with the little one as soon as he was moved into the ward. Kid reminded him a lot of his little brother when he was five.

Dean cleared his throat. "Mattie I'm leaving today," he said softly keeping his eyes on the TV.

The boy nodded. "Ok. Come back and visit?" He asked hopefully.

"Sorry buddy. Can't. I have to go home and it's a two day drive from here," Dean said regretfully. Really he had his hands full with Sam and his Dad but no one ever came to visit the kid and he felt bad about that.

Mattie nodded and shrugged. "S'ok."

"Mattie? Oh good you're in here," a nurse said as she came into the room and right up to them. "Time to go."

Mattie sighed softly, nodded and looked at Dean. "Bye."

Dean gave him a half smile. "Bye Mattie," he said softly.

Mattie slowly stood up and took the nurses hand. Slowly he limped out of the room and out of sight.

Dean glanced up at the clock on the wall and hoped his family would be early. They weren't. Forty five minutes later he was still watching cartoons.

Sam ran into the room. "Here you are," he said as he rushed up to him.

Dean lifted one eye brow as he looked at his brother. "Here I am."

"Ramsey said you can come back with us!" Sam said almost vibrating with excitement.

Dean leaned his head against the couch back. "How much sugar cereal did you eat this morning?"

"Two bowls," Caleb said as he came into the room with a wheel chair.

"Don't need that," Dean said as he glared at the chair then glared at Sam. "You're not driving."

"Awww come on! Caleb promised!" Sam whined.

"Hospital policy says you do and he can drive. He promised to be very careful not to tip you out or send you into a wall," Caleb said blandly as he stopped beside Dean and put the lock on the wheels. "Your chariot awaits your highness."

"I can walk. Let Sam drive you around," Dean groused.

"Get your grumpy butt into this chair, now or I'll leave you in the capable hands of all the nurses you pissed off," Caleb said.

"God you're so bitchy in the morning," Dean groused as he struggled to get up from the leather couch. He almost gave up before his brother helped him up. "Did he have coffee this morning?"

"Nope. Dad and Bobby got it all before he woke up," Sam said with a snicker.

"Brat," Caleb growled.

"You snooze you lose," Sam said then laughed as he took Dean's crutch.

Caleb shook his head and waited for Dean to settle himself into the chair. He unlocked the wheels and looked at Sam. "You're up but so help me kiddo if you do anything stupid," he said and left the threat dangling.

"I won't!" Sam huffed as he pushed the chair in a tight half circle and headed back for the door.

"Sam STOP!" Dean yelled and lurched forward slightly as Caleb reached around and yanked the wheelchair to an abrupt stop. He took a steadying breath. "Sammy do you see the doorway?"

"Yeah," Sam said.

"You're about to drive me into it," Dean growled.

"I was gonna move," Sam said then backed up slightly before pushing him through the doorway.

They made it to the nurses' station where John was talking to a nurse and Ramsey. The keys to the Impala were sitting on the counter and Caleb picked them up.

Ramsey paused a moment in his conversation with John so that he could assess his young patient. Dean was still far too pale; the only color on his face was the dark smudges of exhaustion under his eyes. He also noted the lines of pain marring his face. Knowing Dean had a long and painful ride home, the doctor came to a decision.

"Dean, before I can discharge you I have a final condition. I will be sending you home with pain medication but I also want to give you a morphine injection to make sure you're comfortable and can rest easily for your ride home."

Shaking his head no Dean glared at the doctor. "I'm fine and I don't need..."

John interrupted his son. "He'll take the medication or he won't be leaving."

Dean sighed dramatically and held out an arm for the injection. Feeling the warm rush of the medicine traveling through his system, he blinked heavily as the room started to spin.

John watched his son noting the lines of pain disappearing from his face and how he seemed to melt back into his wheelchair.

Watching Dean succumb to the pain medication Caleb knew he had to get his friend to the car before Dean fell asleep and needed to be carried out. "I'll bring the Impala around," Caleb offered.

"Don't scratch her," John said to him then looked at his boys. "Hey Dean. Just give me a moment and we'll be gone."

"Why can't we wait outside?" Sam asked.

John was about to say no but shook his head. "Ok. Just outside the door and you don't go an inch farther before Caleb's there with the car. And don't leave without me."

"OK!" Sam said and pushed the chair towards the elevators.

Caleb fell into step next to them and gently corrected the course twice before they got into the elevator.

"Sam when you want to learn how to drive don't call me," Caleb said with a shake of his head.

"That's ok. I'm sure Dean will teach me," Sam said confidently.

Dean glanced at Caleb with a glare. "In a few years Sammy," he said.

"But you could drive when you were thirteen," Sam said.

"Yeah but I was ready. You not so much," Dean said with a yawn.

Sam huffed and as the doors opened he walked out leaving Dean behind.

"Well at least he won't steer you into something," Caleb said.

"Thank you Mr. Glass half full," Dean shot back.

Caleb laughed as he pushed Dean out of the elevator and out the front door. He steered Dean off to the side next to a bench and locked down the wheels. "Don't move. I don't care what she looks like," he said with a smirk then he smacked the teen's shoulder lightly and headed out into the parking lot.

Sam sat down on the bench with a huff. This was not how he saw the morning go when he learned his brother had been released.

"Hey don't be mad. I was just jerkin your chain you big baby," Dean said. He tried to open his eyes to get a look at his brother but everything felt weighted down.

"Not mad and I don't want to drive," Sam said as he watched Caleb get smaller as he walked further away. They'd parked as far away as they could so the Impala wouldn't get damaged by a car or keyed by someone.

"S'wrong?" Dean slurred.

Sam shrugged.

"Headache?" Dean asked.

"Yeah kinda," Sam admitted softly. "But I'm ok."

Lifting heavy eyes to look over his brother, Dean blinked repeatedly trying to bring Sammy into focus. God, this is why he hated taking pain meds, it screwed with his ability to watch over his brother. "Still not sleeping either?" He questioned.

Sam shook his head slightly. "Not really. Dad's getting some more meds from the doc. They both think its part of the concussion. But it should be gone," the teen said frustration clear in his voice.

"S'alright," Dean mumbled. "It'll get better." He slumped further into his wheelchair and fought a losing battle to stay awake for his brother.

"Yeah," Sam said softly watching his big brother. _As long as I have you_ he thought to himself.

"Well at least we'll get plenty of time to rest in the car on the way back to Pastor Jim's," Sam offered. "Dad said it's a two day drive from here?"

Nearly asleep, Dean jerked awake at the sound of Sam's voice. "Wazzat Sammy?"

Taking pity on his brother's drugged confusion Sam explained further. "Well it's closer to one day but they talked about it last night and they're breaking it up. They think it'll be too hard on us to make it in one day and Dad's still not healed properly," Sam replied.

"I'm fine Sam," John said as he joined his sons. "There's no rush to get to Jims and sometimes it's nice to take it easy on the road."

"M'fine too," Dean muttered not wanting to hold everyone back.

"I'm sure," John said as he scanned the parking lot. "What's keeping Caleb?"

"Usually a girl," Sam said.

John shook his head and rested a hand on a handle on the back of Dean's chair. "Better not be," he growled.

A few moments later the Impala pulled up to the curb. Caleb got out of the car and took Dean's bag to put into the back. John helped his son up and waited for him to be settled on the crutch before letting go. Sam jumped up and opened the back door scooting in across the bench seat and looked over holding his hand out for the crutch.

Dean frowned knowing this wasn't going to be fun. He felt Caleb's hand on his bicep and he allowed his friend to help him into the car. He swallowed back swear words as he hit his cast on the door. With a heavy sigh he slid across the seat, leaned back against his brother and closed his eyes.

As his family bantered back and forth about the car and other things in general, Dean was overcome with a sense of relief. He'd survived the worst situation he'd been in yet and he never had to return to the house that haunted his nightmares. He was surrounded by the people that mattered most to him and in two days he'd be in the safest home he'd ever known next to Bobby's. But mostly he was in the Impala and he felt a calming sense when he was with her.

Watching as Sammy hugged his brother to him John asked, "You ok Dean?"

Dean opened his eyes and met his father's concerned glance. "Yes sir. Let's go."

Sam ran his fingers through his brother's short, spiky hair feeling Dean relax into sleep against him. Yep, everything would be ok.

The End.


End file.
